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Shoaib Akhtar highlights key areas Babar Azam needs to improve to surpass Virat Kohli

The constant debate of who between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam is a better batsman never seems to stop. While the Indian skipper is already hailed as a modern-day legend, Azam is also on the way to greatness.

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Sky247 Staff
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Babar Azam - Virat Kohli

Babar Azam - Virat Kohli ( Image Credit: Twitter)

The constant debate of who between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam is a better batsman never seems to stop. While the Indian skipper is already hailed as a modern-day legend, Azam is also on the way to greatness. The Pakistan skipper recently displaced Virat Kohli as the No 1 ODI batsman. Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar feels that Azam needs to learn two qualities from Kohli if he wants to get anyway near to Kohli's stats.

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Akhtar said Azam must be consistent and score runs while chasing. It’s a known fact that Kohli thrives on run-chases and loves to come out on top when the pressure is high. 

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“If Babar needs to beat Virat and surpass him, he will have to score more runs while chasing and play the kind of innings Kohli has. There is no doubt that Babar Azam can probably be the greatest batsman of Pakistan, but it will take time. We will judge Kohli and Babar after 10 years where they stand,” Akhtar said to Sports Tak.

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Akhtar further opined that it’s wrong to compare Kohli and Azam. While Kohli has 70 centuries so far, the Pakistani skipper has 20 centuries since the time he made his debut in 2015. The cricketer-turned-expert feels Azam still has a lot to prove before he is considered in the same league as Virat Kohli.

“Virat has what… 70 centuries in international cricket right. So in the next five years, he will get 30 more and, I want him to get 120 centuries or at least 110. See, with these many runs, who can be compared to him? The debate itself is wrong. And Babar is now coming through. It’s really good and that there is a healthy competition,” he added.  

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Cricket News India Virat Kohli Pakistan Babar Azam