Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has criticized the comparisons being made between Babar Azam’s current struggles and Virat Kohli’s rough patch from 2021 to 2022, when Kohli went through a century drought. Hogg expressed his views after Babar’s continued poor form in Test cricket led to his omission from Pakistan’s squad for the next two matches against England. Babar has been unable to score a half-century in his last 18 Test innings and has averaged just under 21 in nine Tests since the beginning of 2023.
Babar’s performances on home soil have also been disappointing, with an average of just 18.75 in his last eight innings. His underwhelming display on a flat Multan track during the first Test against England, where he scored only 30 and 5 runs, contributed to the PCB’s decision to exclude him, along with fellow stars Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, from the squad for the next two Tests.
Despite the setback, Babar received support from cricket fans and teammates, with Pakistan white-ball batter Fakhar Zaman drawing parallels between Babar’s current struggles and Kohli’s rough period. Kohli, who is considered one of the modern greats, endured a prolonged phase where he struggled to score centuries but still contributed to India’s overall success.
However, Brad Hogg has dismissed these comparisons, calling them baseless. He argued that, unlike Babar, Kohli’s form dip did not impact India’s results significantly, as the team continued to perform well. In contrast, Pakistan has not produced strong results during Babar’s struggles, making the comparison invalid in Hogg’s view. Hogg emphasized that team performance plays a key role in such comparisons and that Babar’s form has had a more direct effect on Pakistan’s outcomes than Kohli’s did for India.
Brad Hogg tweeted, “Comparing bad form between Babar Azam & Kohli after rumours the Pakistan legend will be dropped for the 2nd test v England is baseless. India: 2nd best win % during Kohli’s draught. Pakistan: 2nd worst win % through Babar’s. Hard decisions need to be made! #ENGvsPAK #IINDvAUS,”
We agree with Brad Hogg, what about you?
