Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has asked cricket fans to stop comparing Virat Kohli and Babar Azam after Pakistan’s batting suffered another setback during the IND vs PAK clash. Babar was dismissed for just five runs off 7 balls as India defeated Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2026 clash in Colombo.
IND vs PAK: Complete Score | Highlighting
Babar has struggled with India in T20Is after his 68 in the 2021 FIFA T20 World Cup with scores of 10, 14, 0, 13 and 5. The Pakistan batsman has now scored just 110 runs in six matches at an average of 22 and a strike rate of 123.59. Meanwhile, Kohli scored 492 runs at an average of 70.28 in 11 matches against Pakistan. This includes his heroic knock against the arch-rivals during a match at the MCG during the T20 World Cup 2022, where he helped India win from a tough spot.
On his YouTube channel, Pathan pointed to Kohli’s MCG knock and asked if Babar had ever played such a knock under pressure and completed games for his side.
“And please stop comparing Babar Azam to Virat Kohli. Virat Kohli is in a different league. Look at his innings against Pakistan in the 2022 World Cup – has Babar ever played such a knock under pressure? Apart from 2021 when dew played a big role, how many times has Babar absorbed pressure and finished matches like that?” said the Pathan.
The Indian all-rounder opined that Babar should have concentrated on playing in depth and playing singles and doubles rather than looking for a big hit.
“With three wickets down, he should have batted until the 15th over, focused on singles and doubles and played a long innings. Even a strike rate of 120 would have been acceptable given the pressure on the scoreboard. Instead, he went for a big shot and got out. He doesn’t have the ability to consistently clear boundaries at will, or swing his shots freely when the middle grip is spinning against quality balls.”
“Because of this approach, Pakistan couldn’t even bat the full 20 overs. It was an embarrassing defeat – no doubt about it,” Pathan said.
WHAT IS PAKISTAN BATTING MISSING?
Pathan further said that Pakistan’s batting lacks strength, depth and lacks a clear approach when it comes to the T20I format.
“Once India reached 175, the match was virtually over as Pakistan’s batting simply lacked power. I was saying before the match that people were praising Pakistan’s bowling this time, but what about their batting? Their batting lacks depth and approach.
Pakistan will need to win their final match against Namibia to qualify for the Super 8 stage of the 2026 FIFA T20 World Cup.
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Published on:
February 16, 2026