They are opposites the way I look at it, says Matthew Hayden on Virat Kohli and Babar Azam comparison

They are opposites the way I look at it, says Matthew Hayden on Virat Kohli and Babar Azam comparison

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Matthew Hayden stated that Babar Azam is not overly flamboyant on the field

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| Courtesy - Twitter

Matthew Hayden has drawn comparisons between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam, and stated that the former India T20I captain is very boisterous on the field, whereas the Pakistan skipper is not overly flamboyant. Hayden further added that Babar's consistency in reacting to a ball is 'second to none'.

India started their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan, and suffered a resounding 10-wicket defeat against their arch-rivals. However, ahead of the match, there had been tons of comparisons between Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli. Both the captains have numerous records with the bat, but Babar has been the consistent performer in the recent past.

In the latest ICC T20I ranking for batsman, Virat Kohli was demoted to the eighth position after his below-par run at the marquee event. On the flip side, Babar claimed the top spot with his stellar batting performance at the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021. 

Meanwhile, Pakistan batting coach Matthew Hayden highlighted a major difference between the two world-class cricketers. Hayden reckoned that Kohli is very animated and boisterous on the field, whereas Babar is stable, and is not overly flamboyant. The former Australian cricketer further added that Babar is a young captain, but he is a quick learner.

"Babar and his personality is, as you see, what you get. He is very consistent. He is very stable. He is not overly flamboyant," said Hayden during an interaction with Pakistani journalists from Dubai.

"They are opposites the way I look at it. Babar is pretty calm most of the time and goes about his captaincy and batting meticulously while Kohli is very animated, very passionate, and very boisterous on the field.

"Babar is still young as a captain but from what I have seen he is learning everyday and he is a quick learner," he added.

Babar, who opened the innings for Pakistan in six matches in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021, scored 303 runs at an impressive average of 60.60. Reflecting on Babar's batting techniques, Hayden stated that the 27-year-old has a solid temperament, and his consistency in reacting to a ball is second to none.

"I think I see Babar has a lot of control when batting and he has a solid temperament. Just to give you an insight into that talent, his ability to consistently react to the ball is second to none from what I've seen. That is the mark of someone that is a very fine player.

“I think his consistency stems from these attributes: the way he reacts quickly and how quickly he learns things,” said Hayden.

While the Virat Kohli-led side made an early exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup, Babar Azam and his men made it to the semi-finals of the ICC mega event, and later suffered a five-wicket defeat against Australia in the playoffs.

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