Babar Azam lost his cool with a reporter after being asked about his comparison with Virat Kohli following Peshawar Zalmi’s four-wicket win over Hyderabad Kingsmen in PSL 2026 on Wednesday, April 8 at the National Stadium, Karachi.
During the post-match press conference, a reporter raised the Kohli comparison, pointing out that the former Indian captain is known for finishing matches consistently, and asked Babar to respond to the claim that he lacks this quality.
“Virat Kohli has a similar range of shots to you, but he finishes the matches with consistency, which is something people say you lack. Since many compare you to him, what is your take on the comparison?” asked the journalist.
Looking exasperated, Babar vehemently shut down comparisons with Kohli, asking reporters to stop making such comparisons and insisting it was a misconception that he had not finished the matches.
“We’ll end it here. Keep such thoughts to yourself. Stop comparing and move on. It’s your misconception that I haven’t finished the matches,” Babar said.
BABAR ANSWERED KOHLI-BABAR COMPARISON QUESTION
Journalist – “Virat Kohli comes with the same game as you but he finishes the match that you lack. People compare him with you, what is your take on the comparison?”
Babar Azam – “Let these things be pic.twitter.com/A69fIV9urI—Abdullah. (@Abdullahh_56) April 8, 2026
HOW DID BABAR AZAM PERFORM AGAINST HYDERABAD?
On Wednesday, Babar scored 43 off 37 balls and hit six fours as Peshawar Zalmi chased down 146 off the last ball to beat Hyderabad Kingsmen in a thriller. He shared 51 runs with Kusal Mendis for the second wicket and batted until the 15th over before being trapped lbw by Hassan Khan.
After Babar’s dismissal, Iftikhar Ahmed’s early unbeaten 15 helped Zalm to seal the win. In two matches so far in PSL 2026, Babar has scored 82 runs at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 126.15.
With the win, Zalmi moved up to fourth in the table with five points from three games. They next face Karachi Kings on April 9 at the National Stadium, Karachi.
More to follow…
– The end
Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
April 9, 2026 12:32 PM IST
