Fakhar Zaman supported renowned Pakistani batsman Babar Azam after he was left out of the Test squad for the second match against England. Despite going through a dry spell, the left-handed batter said he would not have been dropped if it had been Virat Kohli.
Notably, Babar averaged a pitiful 20.70 in his final 17 Test innings, and his final half-century in the Test format occurred in December 2022. Babar has only averaged 18.75 in his last eight innings at home on some batting-friendly tracks.
In response to the comparison between Kohli and Babar, the renowned Ravichandran Ashwin stated that while he thinks highly of the Pakistani batsman,
he does not consider him to be on the same level as the former captain of India. “He will undoubtedly score runs if given the chance. It is acceptable if there is class. I think it’s time to put a definitive end to this argument. First of all, Ashwin stated on his YouTube channel that Virat Kohli and Babar Azam shouldn’t be talked together.
“I apologise; I think Babar Azam is a fantastic player, but Virat Kohli’s credentials are exceptional. No one else in international cricket has pulled off the kind of heists he has pulled off over time, space, and pressure. “As far as I’m aware, Joe Root is the closest person in Test cricket right now,” he continued.
In the absence of Babar Azam, debutant Kamran Ghulam takes over.
In the second Test, which began on Tuesday, October 16, Pakistan selected 29-year-old batting all-rounder Kamran Ghulam to replace Babar. After Pakistan fell to 19/2 in the first 10 overs, the former batted in Babar’s No. 4 spot in the batting order and scored an incredible century.
Also Read: Kamran Ghulam’s will to succeed overcame the pressure to replace Babar Azam
It won’t take long for a player of Babar’s calibre to get back to his peak. Ghulam, however, has demonstrated that he is prepared for the global arena while he is not there. Ghulam scored 118 from 224 balls, including 11 fours and a single six, to help Pakistan finish Day 1 at 259/5.
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