Kohli comparisons will put pressure on Babar Azam, feels Ravichandran Ashwin
India’s Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his admiration for the ever-so-elegant Babar Azam, but noted that it was not fair to compare him with Kohli and added that such comparisons will put unfair pressure on the youngster. Ashwin further recalled the legendary ‘draw’ against the Windies in 2011.
Despite Babar Azam stressing himself that he is nowhere close to Virat Kohli, and that he is a sheer admirer of the Indian skipper and has a long way to go as a batsman, comparisons between the two have not ceased. Several ex-Pakistani players and renowned experts across the world have continued to claim that Azam, who averages over 45 in all three formats of the game, is in the same league as Kohli, with some even stating that he is not far away from bettering the Indian skipper.
India’s off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, however, is of the opinion that such a comparison would put undue pressure on the youngster and noted that Azam will have his days in the sun in the future. Ashwin, however, revealed that he was an admirer of Azam’s batting and expressed his appreciation for the youngster.
“I really enjoy Babar Azam’s batting. I watched the century he scored in Australia,” Ashwin was quoted as saying by ARY Sports, reported Times Now.
“Comparisons with Virat Kohli will put pressure on him, which is unfair. Kohli is one of the finest cricketers the world has produced. I am sure Babar’s time will come too.”
Azam’s batting aside, Ashwin is an able batsman himself and one of the most nerve-wracking moments of the off-spinner’s career, in fact, came when he had the bat in his hand. In the Mumbai Test against the West Indies in 2011, with him having already scored a wondrous 103 in the first innings, the Windies had set a target of 243 for India in the fourth innings and as fate had it, it came down to the bat of Ashwin to help the home side knock the final runs off.
With 2 runs needed off the final ball, and with Fidel Edwards bowling, Ashwin knocked the ball down the ground to long-on, but bafflingly made his mind to not really push for two runs, as a result of which he was run-out and the match ended in a ‘draw’. Ashwin recalled the infamous encounter and even revealed that Dhoni suggested to him after the game that he could have approached things differently.
“After the game, MS Dhoni came to me and said, ‘You could have taken a chance in the previous ball. Probably taken a single, and let Varun Aaron slog one off the last ball’. So yeah, that’s hindsight.
“I was pretty young into international cricket and that time whatever I was touching was turning into gold. I had got the MoM in the first Test then I got married in between and then came back to play the Mumbai Test. In the final innings, we looked good to chase, but all of a sudden, we had a collapse.
“I found myself batting with the tail. It was very interesting because I had a hundred in the first innings. Second innings, I was again batting well. I was 20-odd. I was left with I think Varun Aaron at the other end, and I think it might have been two balls, two runs to get… we had two wickets in hand.
“I didn’t want to risk going for a big shot, and then, the next batsman coming in and getting out. Fidel Edwards was getting it to reverse and it would have been difficult for a No.11. we could lose the Test match, from being in a position of strength, it was not even 50-50,” Ashwin recalled.
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