Babar Azam vs Kohli: A look at the batsmen's first 78 ODI innings

By
Web Desk
|
Pakistan captain Babar Azam and Indian captain Virat Kohli. Photo: Files

Babar Azam has managed to win a lot of laurels after playing in just 78 ODIs. With all the Kohli comparisons doing the rounds on the internet these days, one can't help but wonder, how many runs did the Indian skipper score when he played his first 78 innings?

Azam on Wednesday ended Kohli's long reign atop the ICC ODI batting rankings.

Even though Kohli is much older than his Pakistani counterpart and has established himself as the world's best batsman, fans have often engaged in heated debates on social media about who is the better batsman among the two. 

The debate surrounding their performances will be talked about more now that Babar has dethroned Kohli from the top spot.

Read more: Babar Azam topples Virat Kohli to become world's no 1 batsman

Espncricinfo on Thursday released some stats about the two batsmen, analysing their scores and averages after their first 78 innings. 

The comparison was limited to only 78 innings as Babar has only played that many innings as of yet, since he made his debut in 2015.

In the ICC rankings, Kohli was ranked number 3 after 78 innings whereas Babar sits at the number 1 spot.

In terms of runs, Babar has scored 3,808 ODI runs from 78 innings whereas Kohli had scored 3,100 runs.

When it comes to batting averages, Babar has an upper hand over Kohli as well, as Pakistani batsman averages 56.83 while the Indian captain had averaged at 45.58 from his first 78 ODIs.

Read more: Virat Kohli's batting can improve if he learns from Babar Azam, says Aaqib Javed

The Pakistani captain also has a better strike rate against Kohli after 78 innings. While Babar has a strike rate of 88.70, the Indian captain had a strike rate of 83.26.

When it comes to 100s and 50s, Babar has 13 and 17 under his belt, respectively, while Kohli had scored 8 tons and 20 half-centuries to his name.

In terms of high scores, Babar has a high score of 125 and Kohli had the highest score of 118 after 78 innings.

Read more: Babar Azam has Kohli within sight, according to ICC's new ODI rankings

Babar may have the upper hand over Kohli when it comes to stats after 78 innings but one must keep in mind while comparing the two against each other that the Pakistani skipper is only 26 and Virat is 32. 

The Indian captain has led his side to many a series win against impressive sides all over the world, something Azam has yet to achieve.