‘He surprised with his T20 cricket’: Faf du Plessis weighs in on Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam debate

South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis said he does see a similarity between India captain Virat Kohli and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam.

Comparisons between Kohli and Azam have been ripe ever since the Pakistan right-hander’s rapid rise in international cricket.

“I do [see similarities between Kohli and Babar]. They are extremely high-quality players. Babar, over the last year or so, has taken another step towards becoming one of the greats of the game so he has got an exciting future,” du Plessis told Cricket Pakistan.

Also Read | ‘Just because Virat’s not there doesn’t mean Australia get the trophy’

The former South African captain who is currently in Pakistan to represent Peshawar Zalmi in the play-offs of PSL, said the newly-appointed Pakistan all-format captain’s exploits in T20 cricket has surprised many.

“I think he surprised a lot of people with his T20 cricket. People would have originally boxed him as a guy that hasn’t got a lot of power but certainly of late his T20 game has been remarkable,” du Plessis said.

India’s Virat Kohli, who has 70 international centuries – 27 in Tests and 43 in ODIs – is the only batsman who averages over 50 in all formats of the game while Pakistan’s Babar Azam is currently the only batsman ranked in top five in all three formats of the game.

Also Read | ‘He’s doing it very well’: Taylor calls star India batsman ‘powerful guy’

Du Plessis also recalled his last trip to Pakistan as the leader of the World XI side.

“The last time I was here was for the World XI game which was really great to be a part of,” he said. “The biggest thing for me was seeing the fans and how much it meant to them that cricket was being played in Pakistan again. It was a great part of my journey as a cricketer.”

“It [under-19 tour] was a long time ago, I think it was 15 years ago or something like that. Back then we were also at the National Stadium in Karachi and to see the stadium after a really long time feels surreal,” he added.

Get Latest Cricket Updates, Live scores and Top news on HT Cricket.

Source: Read Full Article