Pakistan cricket legend Zaheer Abbas has dismissed comparisons between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam, asserting that Kohli’s unmatched consistency sets him apart from the underperforming Pakistani batter.
Abbas, once hailed as part of the “Fab Five” alongside Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root, and Kane Williamson, expressed his disappointment with Babar’s recent slump in form. “These comparisons are pointless,” Abbas stated. “Virat Kohli scores in every match, while the other player (Babar) doesn’t score in any match. So how can you compare them? The person who scores is the bigger player.”
Kohli boasts an impressive 80 international centuries, while the younger Babar has scored 31 centuries across formats. Abbas also praised India’s overall consistency, predicting that the Rohit Sharma-led team will be a strong contender for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
“The Indian team is very good,” Abbas said. “Their batters are doing well, and the bowlers are both good. It’s a very balanced team that plays thoughtfully.”
“They have a very good captain who understands cricket very well,” he added. “When everything is going in your favor, it’s smooth sailing. That’s the case with India right now.”
Abbas believes that Test cricket remains the true test of a player’s character, resilience, mental strength, technique, and consistency. “Test cricket is real cricket,” he emphasized. “It’s 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 realizing that we can’t go on without Test cricket.”
“How many T20s can you play? How many white-ball tournaments can the ICC organize? Maybe 2 or 3, but in the end, you have to return to ODI or Tests,” Abbas said. “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.”
Abbas expressed concern over the increasing number of players turning down central contracts to focus on T20 franchise leagues. “Test cricket is ultimate,” he said. “Anyone can win in T20. Teams can win by fluke. But that’s not the case in Test cricket 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 the players don’t want to play Test cricket and play T20 instead. That needs to be stopped,” Abbas urged. “They need to come up with something… Something like you have to play at least 5 or 6 Test matches a year, then you can play ODI or T20s. Every year, a minimum number of Test matches need to be allotted.”
Pakistan’s recent Test series loss to Bangladesh was a major setback, according to Abbas. “It was a huge setback that Pakistan lost to Bangladesh,” he said. “We never thought that not only Pakistan will lose but it will lose so bad.”
“Pakistan cricket is not doing great,” Abbas admitted. “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,” Abbas said. “But I’m hopeful that Pakistan cricket returns to the top, the boys are working hard.”
Abbas also urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to address the growing rivalry between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi. “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,” he said. “The faster the better because it will keep on escalating.”
“Rivalry is good, but it should not become serious, if it does, it harms the team,” Abbas warned.
