Former India captain Virat Kohli and Pakistan captain Babar Azam are some of the most talked about batsmen in the world of cricket. In the last two years, Virat has struggled to keep himself in the competition for the title of the best batsman in the world across all three formats. Kohli has been going through hard times since November 2019 when he scored his last international goal against Bangladesh in Kolkata at Eden Gardens. However, on the other hand, Babar Azam has been in good shape for the last two years. He has amassed over 400 runs over the past two years, averaging above 40 in T20I cricket. Due to poor form over the past two years, Virat has dropped to 33rd in the ICC T20 batsman rankings while Babar is still at the top of the list with 818 points. Virat Kohli still averages 50 with almost 100 matches to his name.
Just a reminder
GOAT plays in 52 hours #ViratKohli_ pic.twitter.com/q6qpujuSVR— _CHIKKU_ (@chiragparmar149) August 26, 2022
Few of these statistics speak in favor of Babar, while few in favor of Virat. So, in this statistical analysis, we will try to decipher who is the T20I batsman – Virat Kohli or Babar Azam.
This is a picture of Babar Azam__ #NEDvPACK pic.twitter.com/xWD42YYvJl— Haroon (@hazharoon) August 21, 2022
T20I works
Virat Kohli – 3308
Babar Azam – 2686
Virat Kohli played 25 more matches than Babar and thus scored 622 points less than India’s talisman. However, Babar’s recent form suggests something else.
T20I has been running for the past two years
Babar Azam
2022 – 482
2021 – 474
Virat Kohli
2022 – 81
2021 – 299
Babar scored 576 points more than Virat last year in T20I. However, we also have to consider that India’s mascot does not play T20I all the time, he often takes a break during T20 cricket as he considers Test and ODI cricket to be his top priority.
T20I Medium
Virat Kohli – 50.12
Babar Azam – 45.53
Both of these batsmen are amazingly consistent even in T20I. Babar, who is number one in the rankings, has a commendable average while Virat probably has the best average after 99 T20I. Cricket fans around the world believe that the scenario could change over the past two years, but the numbers don’t lie.
T20I Average over past two years
Virat Kohli – 47.5
Babar Azam – 41.5
Shock frequency T20I
Virat Kohli – 137.66
Babar Azam – 129.45
Babar has been criticized for his poor performance in T20 cricket. Sometimes his team loses a match, but he doesn’t get sidelined as he can’t take charge in the death over. On the other hand, Virat always made sure that he finished the game for his team and Virat believes in gradually increasing the number of hits in his serves.
Number of T20I hits in the last two years
Virat Kohli – 130
Babar Azam – 190
Over the past two years, Virat Kohli’s strike numbers have fallen sharply, while Babar Azam has made a big leap. He hits the ball with a speed of about 200.
Highest T20I score
Virat Kohli – 94
Babar Azam – 122
100s, 50s in T20Is
Virat Kohli – 0.30
Babar Azam – 1, 26