"Yeh fizool ki baatein hai": Zaheer Abbas on comparing Babar to Kohli

Former Pakistan cricketer Zaheer Abbas feels that comparing Virat Kohli and Babar Azam is baseless as the Indian star is way more consistent than BabarBabar Azam was once regarded as part of the Fab Five alongside Kohli Steve Smith Joe Root and Kane Williamson but currently he is delivering consistent flop performancesYeh fizool ki baatein hai the comparisons are pointless Virat Kohli scores in every match the other player Babar doesnt score in any match so then how can you compare The person who scores he is the bigger player Abbas told PTI on the sidelines of the Cricket Predicta Conclave hereKohli has 80 international hundreds to his name while the much younger Babar has scored 31 centuries across formatsZaheer Abbas also highlighted the consistency shown by Team India across formats and said that the Rohit Sharmaled side will be a tough contender for the upcoming Champions TrophyIndian team overall is very good Their batters are doing well and the bowlers both are good It is a very balanced team one that plays soch samajh kar thoughtfully said Zaheer AbbasThey have a very good captain who understands cricket very well So when everything is going in your favour it is smooth sailing Thats the case with India right nowThere is a very good chance of them doing well at the Champions Trophy because they have a balanced team the 77yearold saidAlso ReadRohitJaiswals explosive hitting helps India bring up fastest team century in Test historyHailed as the Asian Bradman for insatiable appetite for runs Zaheer Abbas was one of the most elegant batters of his time He played 78 Tests and 62 ODIs for Pakistan accumulating 5062 and 2572 runs respectivelyThe 77yearold strongly believes that Test cricket truly tests the players character resilience mental strength technique and consistencyTest cricket is real cricket That it is the real Test of any player bowler At one point India and Pakistans Test team used to be good And now the boards are realising that we cant go on without Test cricketHow many T20s can you play How many whiteball tournaments can the ICC organise Maybe 2 or 3 but in the end you have to return to ODI or TestsIf you continue Test cricket the cricket will last longer I know people like to get results fast but slowly they will get bored of T20s and we need Tests and ODIsAn increasing number of players are turning down central contracts from their boards to focus on careers in T20 franchise leagues a worrying trend that Abbas believes should be addressedTest cricket is ultimate Anyone can win in T20 Teams can win by fluke But that is not the case in Test cricket as it has two innings You have the scope to do well in one innings Test cricket teaches you a lotI know a lot of the players dont want to play Test cricket and play T20 instead That needs to be stopped They need to come up with somethingSomething like you have to play at least 5 or 6 Test matches a year then you can play ODI or T20s Every year a minimum number of Test matches need to be allotted he addedPakistan was once considered as a cricketing powerhouse But the side is now struggling to find their rhythm back Their downfall started the last years Asia Cup followed by the ODI World Cup 2023 and the T20 World Cup 2024Earlier this month they suffered their firstever Test series loss to Bangladesh Bohot bada dhakka tha It was a huge setback that Pakistan lost to Bangladesh We never thought that not only Pakistan will lose but it will lose so badPakistan cricket abhi daamadol hai is not doing great The performance has dropped I am hopeful that it will get better The reasons behind this are manyIt happens the West Indies used to be the best in the world thats not the case now But Im hopeful that Pakistan cricket returns to the top the boys are working hardAbbas urged the PCB to take some action before the issue escalates further Yes there have been rivalries in the Pakistan teams in the past but the board should take note of the rivalry between Babar and Shaheen fast The faster the better because it will keep on escalatingRivalry is good but it should not become serious if it does it harms the team said AbbasAbbas former Pakistan player Mudassar Nazar and former Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore spoke at the conclave to celebrate the the centenary episode of Cricket Predicta the largest cricket live statsbased show in AsiaWith PTI Inputs