Comparing Kohli and Babar baseless, Indian star way ahead: Zaheer Abbas

Pakistan’s former cricketer Zaheer Abbas feels the comparisons between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are baseless as the Indian superstar is a lot more consistent than the under-fire Pakistani batter.

Once regarded as part of the ‘Fab Five’, including Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson, Babar is currently enduring an extended slump in form.

“The comparisons are pointless. Virat Kohli scores in every match while the other player (Babar) doesn't score in any match, so there is no comparison. The one who scores, he is better,” said Abbas on the sidelines of the Cricket Predicta Conclave in Sharjah.

Kohli has 80 international hundreds to his name while the much younger Babar has scored 31 centuries across formats.

Abbas also acknowledged the consistency displayed by India across formats and said the Rohit Sharma-led team would be a strong contender for the upcoming Champions Trophy.

“Overall, the Indian team is very good. Their batsmen are doing well and the bowlers, too. It is a very balanced team, one that plays thoughtfully,” he said. “They have a very good captain, who understands cricket very well. So, when everything is going in your favour, it is smooth sailing. That’s the case with India right now.”

“There is a very good chance of them doing well (at the Champions Trophy) because they have a balanced team,” the 77-year-old ex-cricketer said.

Hailed as the ‘Asian Bradman’ for insatiable appetite for runs, Abbas was one of the most elegant batters of his time. He played 78 Tests and 62 ODIs for Pakistan, accumulating 5,062 and 2,572 runs, respectively.

Teams can win by fluke in T20s, not in Tests

The 77-year-old strongly believes that Test cricket truly tests the players’ character, resilience, mental strength, technique and consistency.

“Test cricket is the real cricket. That it is the real test of any player, bowler.  At one point India and Pakistan's Test teams used to be good, and now the boards are realising the fact that we can’t go on without Test cricket,” he said.

“How many T20s can you play? How many white-ball tournaments can the ICC organise? Maybe two or three, but in the end, you have to return to ODI or Tests.

“If you continue Test cricket, the cricket will last longer. I know people like to get results fast, but slowly, they will get bored of T20s and we need Tests and ODIs.”

An increasing number of players are turning down central contracts from their boards to focus on careers in T20 franchise leagues, a worrying trend that Abbas believes should be addressed.

“Test cricket is ultimate. Anyone can win in T20. Teams can win by fluke, but that is not the case in Test as it has two innings. You have the scope to do well in one innings. Test cricket teaches you a lot. I know a lot of players don't want to play Test and play T20 instead. That needs to be stopped. They need to come up with something,” he said.

“Something like you have to play at least five or six Test matches a year, then you can play ODI or T20s. Every year, a minimum number of Test matches need to be allotted,” added Abbas.

Loss to Bangladesh was a huge setback

Once a cricketing powerhouse, Pakistan now find itself themselves in a difficult situation. Their downward spiral began with the Asia Cup last year that was followed by the team's early elimination from ODI World Cup in 2023 and T20 World Cup this year.

Earlier this month, they suffered their first-ever Test series loss to Bangladesh.

“It was a huge setback that Pakistan lost to Bangladesh. We never thought that Pakistan would lose badly. Pakistan cricket is not doing great. The performance has dropped. I am hopeful that it will get better. The reasons behind this are many. It happens, the West Indies used to be the best in the world, that's not the case now, but I'm hopeful that the Pakistani team returns to the top. The boys are working hard,” he said.

Pacer Shaheen Afridi replaced Babar as skipper in T20Is after the 2023 ODI World Cup, but the former was reappointed as the captain earlier this year.

Abbas urged the PCB to take some action before the issue escalates further.

“Yes, there have been rivalries in the Pakistan teams in the past, but the board should take note of the rivalry between Babar and Shaheen fast. The faster the better it is as it will keep on escalating. Rivalry is good, but it should not become serious, if it does, it harms the team,” said Abbas.

Abbas, former Pakistani player Mudassar Nazar and former coach Dav Whatmore spoke at the conclave to celebrate the centenary episode of Cricket Predicta, the largest cricket live stats based show in Asia.