‘Performances make you a King, not PR’ – Hafeez tears into Babar Azam’s delusional social media hype
Cricket, Sports: While Babar got out early inside the Powerplay against India, scoring 23 runs, his counterpart Virat Kohli hit a match-winning hundred (100*) during the chase.
Babar Azam is Pakistan’s best batter across formats, his preferred one being the One-Dayers, where his record speaks for itself; however, even those are not enough to put him in the same breath as Virat Kohli, a batting genius. Though social media reels and TikTok videos might have magnified his persona over the years, with countless fans even comparing him to Kohli, the former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has bashed this delusion, giving them all a reality check.
Babar has scaled colossal heights in each format, having scored plenty of hundreds in those, but per Hafeez, also formerly known as ‘Professor’ among his teammates, he hasn’t played any match-winning inning against India since his debut, something he feels has restricted him from being called a ‘batting great’.
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Hafeez noted that one doesn't become a king, a cricketing term the fans have overly used for the past several years, indicating a player’s achievements by employing PR (public relations), and instead on-field performances decide who is the best player around.
While Babar got out early inside the Powerplay against India, scoring 23 runs, his counterpart Virat Kohli hit a match-winning hundred (100*) while chasing, helping India win the marquee Champions Trophy clash by six wickets.
'Virat likes performing on big stage'
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Praising the Indian veteran for his heroics, Hafeez said Virat thrives performing on the bigger stages, claiming what’s mightier than doing it against Pakistan.
"Virat is a high-stage performer. He looks out for big occasions and performs. Whenever India plays against Pakistan, you get a chance to star in those matches. Shoaib Malik bowled well against India, where he became a star; Shahid Afridi became a star when he hit sixes against India," Hafeez said after the India-Pakistan Champions Trophy game.
"Virat Kohli keeps waiting for those occasions. He waits to cash in on those opportunities. He keeps a positive mindset; he thinks that 'I will win the match for India. I will not only play, but I will win the match for my country.' And that's why he is the greatest batter in the world," Hafeez added.
Reality check
Bringing everyone back to earth with his assessment of the comparison between Virat and Babar, Hafeez noted,
“In reality, if someone deserves to be called King, it is Virat Kohli, not Babar Azam. Look at his performance. He has performed all across the world, not become a king by employing PR. Call out those spokespersons, show them the mirror.”
(With inputs from agencies)