Shoaib Akhtar Rips Apart Babar Azam On Virat Kohli Comparisons

Published - 24 Feb 2025, 03:38 PM | Updated - 24 Feb 2025, 03:44 PM

Virat Kohli Babar Azam Shoaib Akhtar

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Shoaib Akhtar, a former fast bowler for Pakistan, has cruelly mocked the Pakistani cricket team following their humiliating loss to India in the Champions Trophy 2025 group stage in Dubai.

Akhtar chastised the players for their poor effort and was upset with his team's performance. In light of Babar Azam's recent terrible performance with the bat, Shoaib Akhtar questioned whether the comparison between the two players was accurate.

In Dubai, Babar Azam's bad streak continued as he was removed for just 23 runs, despite Kohli scoring the game-winning hundred. Babar appeared to be hitting well with the bat, but he ultimately edged one of Hardik Pandya's deliveries to concede another low score.

Babar Azam’s comparison to Virat Kohli is not right: Shoaib Akhtar

Speaking on the local TV program 'Game on Hai' on Tapmad Entertainment, Shoaib Akhtar was harsh in his evaluation of Pakistan's achievement. Given the significant distance between Indian and Pakistani players, he thinks it is incorrect to draw analogies between them.

"Would you rate Babar (Azam) to Virat Kohli? Would you rate (Shreyas) Iyer to Khushdil Shah or Would you rate Rohit Sharma to Fakhar Zaman or (Mohammad) Rizwan?" Akhtar argued.

Given that the Men in Blue were never truly in serious difficulty, there appeared to be a significant difference between India and Pakistan in this match. Even though Pakistan had its moments, India remained composed and used their expertise and poise to escape difficult situations.

Since both players are referred to as "King" by their supporters, Babar Azam and Virat Kohli have frequently been compared. But right now, Kohli appears to be far ahead of Babar. While Kohli continues to give his all when it counts most, Babar has found it difficult to make a meaningful impact in crucial games against formidable opponents.

Pakistan lacks talent: Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar also raised doubts about Pakistan's cricket talent. Speaking in the same video clip, he laments the dearth of talent in the nation and says that the players must perform on the field.

"What kind of talent? Talent are displayed. You have to do it instead of talking. The stars aren't made like this. You need to get the batters out and score runs. I've been listening to this for years now but there is no talent. If there was a talent, it would have been visible in the last ten years," Akhtar added.