Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: Which batter has the better numbers in T20I cricket?
All eyes will be on the Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam clash when arch-rivals India and Pakistan cross swords at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. Kohli has been the most dominant batter in the last decade, but Azam has been rising slowly in recent years.
Since Virat Kohli's form has dipped in recent times, some fans think that Babar has replaced him as the top dog in the world of batsmen. When India and Pakistan last battled in a T20I match, both Virat and Babar scored a half-century.
Before the Asia Cup match between the two arch-rivals begins, here's an in-depth look at the Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam statistical comparison.
Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam - Who has the better average in T20Is?
Virat Kohli has played 91 T20I innings for India, where he has scored 3,308 runs at a marvelous average of 50.12. His highest score is 94, while he has remained unbeaten on 25 occasions.
Babar Azam has batted in 69 T20I innings for Pakistan, aggregating 2,686 runs at an average of 45.53. In terms of batting average, Virat is ahead of Babar.
Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam - Who has the better strike rate in T20Is?
Strike rate has an equal or perhaps more significance than average in T20I cricket. Interestingly, Kohli is ahead of Babar in this area as well.
Virat has scored his 3,308 runs at a strike rate of 137.66, while Babar has aggregated 2,686 runs at a strike rate of 129.45.
Kohli vs Babar - Which batter has the better frequency of scoring fifties in T20Is?
Kohli has smashed 30 fifties in his career, having batted in 91 innings, meaning he scores almost one fifty every three innings. On the other hand, Babar has registered 26 fifties in 69 innings, meaning a fifty in every 2.65 innings on average.
In this department, Babar is ahead of Virat, but in the other two, the former Indian skipper has the upper hand. One can conclude that Babar is inching closer towards Kohli's level, but he is not ahead of his Indian rival just yet.