Babar fires back on Kohli line
Babar Azam pushed back on comparisons to Virat Kohli’s late finishes, saying he’s finished many matches himself — a confident public reply that keeps the Pakistan captain in the spotlight. (x.com) That comment matters because it shapes narratives before bigger international windows, and it’s the kind of soundbite teams use to build player momentum. (x.com)
Babar Azam did not let the Virat Kohli comparison slide after Peshawar Zalmi’s last-ball win over Hyderabad Kingsmen on April 8, 2026. When a reporter said Kohli finishes games and Babar does not, Babar cut him off and said he had finished “many matches” himself. (wisden.com) The exchange came minutes after a chase that fed the exact criticism he was being asked about. Zalmi were chasing 146 in Karachi, Babar made 43 from 37 balls, and he was out in the 15th over before Iftikhar Ahmed hit the winning runs on the last ball. (espncricinfo.com) That is why Kohli is the name that keeps getting used in these questions. Kohli’s one-day international record sits at 14,797 runs at an average of 58.72, and his reputation was built on hundreds of run chases where he stayed to the end. (cricbuzz.com) Babar’s own record is strong enough that he sees the comparison as unfair, not flattering. ESPNcricinfo lists him with 6,501 runs in one-day internationals and 4,596 in Twenty20 internationals, numbers that put him among Pakistan’s most productive batters of his era. (espncricinfo.com) The problem is not whether Babar can bat. The problem is that in Twenty20 cricket, where 20 overs makes every dot ball expensive, fans remember the batter who is there at the handshake more than the batter who set up the chase. (espncricinfo.com) That pressure has followed Babar for more than one tournament because he has often been asked to do two jobs at once. As a top-order anchor, he is expected to protect the innings early, but as the biggest name in Pakistan’s batting, he is also expected to deliver the final blow late. (espncricinfo.com) His public pushback also lands at a time when Pakistan’s standing is being judged closely across formats. In the latest International Cricket Council one-day international team rankings, Pakistan are fourth, behind India, New Zealand, and Australia. (espncricinfo.com) So the quote was not just a prickly press-conference moment. It was Babar rejecting a script that turns every unfinished chase into a referendum on whether he is Pakistan’s answer to Kohli, when his argument is simpler: judge the innings he has already won, not just the ones someone else closed. (hindustantimes.com)
