Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik slammed Pakistan batter Babar Azam for his shot selection during the T20 World Cup 2026 match in Colombo. Karthik said that comparisons between Babar and Virat Kohli were unfair, adding that he could not imagine Kohli playing such a poor shot early in an innings.
Pakistan suffered a 61-run defeat against India at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday, February 16. Chasing 176 runs, the Men in Green lost three wickets inside the first two overs, leaving the side under heavy pressure. Babar tried a slog sweep against Axar Patel, missed the ball completely, and was bowled.
Babar managed just five runs off seven balls, and his dismissal pushed Pakistan deeper into trouble. The Men in Green had slipped to 34/4 during the fifth over of the run chase.
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Cannot Imagine Virat Kohli Playing That Shot – Dinesh Karthik Slams Babar Azam
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik shared his thoughts on Babar Azam’s batting. Karthik said that the long-running comparison between Babar and Virat Kohli did not make sense to him. He stated that the dismissal showed a lack of belief at a crucial moment.
“For a long time now, there has been a comparison which I find unfair, between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. I cannot imagine Virat Kohli playing that shot that early in the innings,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
“That is submission and not having belief in what it takes to win and how to take your team closer to victory. It required courage to say wickets are falling, so let me play good cricketing shots,” he added.
‘No way Babar should be compared to Virat Kohli’@DineshKarthik & @ajinkyarahane88 compare the two players, on Cricbuzz Live#T20WorldCup #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/bXzY889V8B
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) February 16, 2026
Babar Azam Is Under Pressure to Keep His Place – Dinesh Karthik
Karthik said that Virat Kohli would have looked for a single and kept the strike rotating. The commentator stated that absorbing pressure and guiding the team in tough moments defines greatness. He added that Babar Azam is capable of much better and felt the belief was missing.
“That shot showed he is under pressure to keep his place. It’s a shot against his grain. That is what you don’t see in great players. Virat Kohli would have found a way to take a single and bring the other batter on strike and say me being here is actually going to define whether we win this game or not. That absorption of pressure is what makes greatness,” Karthik continued.
“That was too weak a shot from Babar. He is better than that. The conviction and belief wasn’t there from Babar. The pressure to be the best in the world is getting to him because right now, he’s not. He’s nowhere close to being the best in the world. Why do we rate Virat Kohli so highly? Because every time he played Pakistan, he got the job done. Under pressure, that man stands up. That’s why he’s rated as the greatest ever.”
There Is No Comparison between Babar Azam and Virat Kohli – Ajinkya Rahane
Former India captain Ajinkya Rahane described Virat Kohli as the greatest across formats. Rahane added that Babar had the chance to build his innings before accelerating but failed to do so, making any comparison unnecessary.
“All the great players have game awareness. There is no comparison between Babar and Virat. Virat is the greatest player across formats. He was so good in every situation, reading it and playing accordingly. This was Babar’s opportunity to take his time and slowly accelerate after the 13th or 14th over. There should be no comparison at all between Virat and Babar,” said Rahane (via the aforementioned source).
Babar has struggled to handle the pressure in India-Pakistan T20Is, managing an average of 22 across six innings in these encounters. In comparison, Virat maintained an outstanding average of 70.28 in 11 T20I matches.
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