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Virat Kohli & Babar Azam (left), Irfan Pathan (right)
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan took a dig at Babar Azam ahead of Pakistan's crucial encounter against Team India in the 2023 ODI World Cup. The arch-rivals face each other in the showpiece event at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14.
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As the comparisons between Babar Azam and Virat Kohli rage, Pathan puts the Indian batting stalwart ahead by laying out a few statistics of both. However, there is no doubt that Kohli and Babar are the backbone of their respective teams' batting departments. When India and Pakistan face off, the spotlight will be on these two.
Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), Pathan said that Kohli has a better average against Pakistan than Babar's average against India. In fact, more than a troll, it was more of a warning bell for the Pakistan skipper ahead of the World Cup clash. Pathan said there will be pressure on Babar to perform against India on Saturday.
"Babar Azam’s Avg against India is 28. Virat Kohli’s Avg against Pakistan is 55. Clearly Virat is far ahead. Babar will feel the heat to perform on this big match today," the 38-year-old tweeted.
Babar Azam’s Avg against India is 28. Virat Kohli’s Avg against Pakistan is 55. Clearly Virat is far ahead. Babar will feel the heat to perform on this big match today. #indvspak2023
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) October 14, 2023
Virat Kohli continues his red-hot form; Babar replies with a fifty against India after a poor World Cup start
Virat Kohli has been in great form in recent times and the former India captain is continuing that in the ongoing tournament. Kohli entered the World Cup after a successful performance in the 2023 Asia Cup, where India won the title after defeating Sri Lanka in the final. Notably, he scored a century against Pakistan in the continental event and ensured a comfortable victory for India.
Kohli was looking good for another century in India's opening match of the World Cup against India. Although he was dismissed for 85 runs, his 165-run partnership with KL Rahul was crucial in India's six-wicket win. In the next match against Afghanistan, the 34-year-old scored a stunning half-century in Delhi to take India over the finish line.
On the other hand, Babar's recent performance has not been great. He scored a century against Nepal in the Asia Cup opener. But since then, he failed to find runs. Talking about his performance in the World Cup, the 28-year-old was dismissed for just five runs against the Netherlands. It was a similar story for him in the next match against Sri Lanka, getting out for 10 runs. However, in response to Pathan's criticism, Babar scored a scintillating half-century against India on Saturday.