Babar Azam expressed his frustration with a journalist who brought up comparisons with Virat Kohli following Peshawar Zalmi’s victory over Hyderabad Kingsmen in the PSL 2026 match on April 8 at the National Stadium in Karachi. During the post-match press briefing, the reporter highlighted Kohli’s reputation for consistently finishing matches and questioned Babar’s perceived lack of that quality in his game. The journalist mentioned the similarity in shot selection between Kohli and Babar, leading to the comparison. Babar swiftly dismissed the comparison, urging the journalist to refrain from such remarks and stating that it was a misconception that he struggles to finish matches.
Despite ongoing comparisons between Babar and Kohli due to Babar’s elegant strokeplay and consistent performances, Babar has often acknowledged Kohli’s prowess and regarded him as one of the best in the cricketing world. The comparison gained significant traction in 2021 when Babar dethroned Kohli as the No.1 ODI batter in the ICC rankings after a 1,258-day reign. In 2023, Babar further solidified his position by becoming the fastest player to reach 5,000 ODI runs in just 97 innings, outpacing Kohli.
In the recent PSL 2026 match against Hyderabad, Babar contributed with a crucial 43 runs off 37 balls, including six boundaries, in Peshawar Zalmi’s nail-biting victory. His partnership with Kusal Mendis and subsequent dismissal in the 15th over set the stage for Iftikhar Ahmed’s match-winning performance. Babar has accumulated 82 runs in two matches at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 126.15 in the ongoing PSL season. With this win, Zalmi climbed to the fourth spot in the league standings with five points from three matches. Their next challenge awaits against Karachi Kings on April 9 at the National Stadium in Karachi.