Now, do we have another Virat Kohli in the sub-continent? Well, if one has to buy Pakistan’s cricket coach Mickey Arthur’s comment, then Babar Azam is as good as India’s Test skipper. Rewind to 1992, Imran Khan compared Inzamam-ul-Haq with Sachin Tendulkar. Years down the line, Inzy failed to come even close to The God of Cricket.
Let’s look at statistics: Inzy: In 120 Tests he scored 8830 runs at an average of 49.60. Tendulkar on the other hand has 15921 runs in 200 Tests at an average of 53.78. And we are not going into the ODI records. Tendulkar is way ahead of Inzy.
The legendary former skipper of Pakistan, Imran Khan now a seasoned politician desperate to dislodge PM Nawaz Sharif from his post, got the calculations wrong years back. Is Arthur following in his footsteps?
Without sounding biased, Pakistanis have a habit of hoping against hope. And when it comes to India, the tendency to show their might without considering the acumen of their local talents is an age-old phenomenon. Now, Arthur (not a Pakistani though) as quoted by The Express Tribune has lots of good things to say about Azam. “I’ll go so far as to say, at the same age, I reckon, he’s as good as Virat Kohli, which I know that’s high praise but he’s right up there,” he said.
Now, the Pakistani newspaper compares Azam with Kohli after three Test matches. Azam averages 46.40 after three Tests against Kohli’s 15.2 in the same number of Tests. Now, have they gone mad? Well, there’s no undermining Azam’s talent. Of course, he is gifted and will hopefully go places, but to bring the so-called inherent anti-India angle in the context of a young guy who has just started off, is sheer exaggeration. Probably, Arthur is under pressure after his team’s dismal show in New Zealand and to keep his job, he has no other choice.
With due respect to Azam (22), one wishes him well but he also has a tough job ahead. Thanks to his coach, he has to prove his worth and be a better cricketer than the Delhi-born Indian Test captain who to even the staunchest of cynics, is the best batsman in the world at this point of time. To compare a newcomer with a senior pro who has played more than 50 Test matches is nothing but a juvenile act.
Imran Khan might be regretting now. Years down the lines, Arthur too ‘may.’