Comparing Virat Kohli and Babar Azam's records in T20 World Cups
Comparisons between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are not new. Ever since the Pakistan captain started performing consistently in international cricket, fans began comparisons between him and the great from his neighboring nation, Virat.
Virat and Babar have played many matches against each other as well. Their most recent battle was at the 2023 ODI World Cup in Ahmedabad, where Babar scored 50, while Virat managed 16 runs. Although Babar scored more runs than Virat that day, India won that match by seven wickets.
Speaking of Virat Kohli and Babar Azam, the two players will go head-to-head once again at a mega event. This time, the stage will be at the T20 World Cup 2024 in New York. The big game is scheduled to take place next Sunday (May 9), and all eyes will be on Virat and Babar.
Before the two big names square off against each other next Sunday, here's a comparison of their numbers in T20 World Cups.
#1 Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam - Who has the better average in T20 World Cups?
Virat Kohli made his T20 World Cup debut in 2012. He has played 25 innings at the grand stage so far, aggregating 1,141 runs at an incredible average of 81.50. It shows how dominant he has been at the grand stage of T20I cricket.
On the other hand, Babar Azam made his T20 World Cup debut in 2021 only. The Pakistan skipper has played a total of 13 innings thus far, scoring 427 runs. While Virat's average is more than 80, Babar's average at the mega event has been 35.58. Hence, Virat clearly wins this stat battle.
Score: Virat 1 - 0 Babar.
#2 Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam - Who has the highest strike rate in T20 World Cups?
Strike rate and intent matter a lot in T20 cricket, especially when the stakes are at the highest in tournaments like T20 World Cup. Virat has maintained a decent strike rate of 131.30 at the mega event.
Although Babar has played fewer innings than Virat, his strike rate is much lower at 114.47. Pakistan fans will expect their captain plays aggressively in T20 World Cup and at least maintains a strike rate in the range of 130. Virat wins this stat battle easily as well.
Score: Virat 2 - 0 Babar.
#3 Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam - Who scores 50s at a higher frequency in T20 World Cups?
Consistency is the key to success in any cricket tournament. The reason why India have done so well in the last few T20 World Cups is that Kohli has stood up and delivered the goods for the side when needed. Kohli has 14 half-centuries in just 25 innings of this tournament, meaning he scores a 50 in every 1.79 innings.
Babar Azam has registered five half-centuries in 13 innings of his T20 World Cup career so far. It means Babar takes 2.6 innings to complete a half-century. Once again, Kohli is miles ahead of Azam in this stat battle. Thus, it goes without saying that Kohli's record at the mega event is much better than that of the Pakistan captain.
Score: Virat 3 - 0 Babar.