Former Sri Lanka player and World Cup-winner Sanath Jayasuriya has credited Virat Kohli as a better player than Babar Azam while also stating he is his favourite cricketer. He did not stop there as he also mentioned that Virat is also his son’s favourite player as well. The Delhi-born batter returned to form with a blistering hundred on Thursday as he scored an unbeaten 122 against Afghanistan.
"I like Virat Kohli. He is my favourite player and also my son's favourite player too," Jayasuriya said when he was asked about the former India captain.
Virat vs Babar
Comparisons in recent times have been led with both Virat ad Babar being the best products from their nation. Babar Azam has excelled in the recent period as one of the best players in all the formats, topping the ICC rankings in ODI and Test format. Virat despite being under the radar for a while has come back into form as he notched the ton against Afghanistan.
Jayasuriya who himself was a blistering batter at the top order was quick to mention Virat, as his son too idolises the 33-year-old. With 71 tons to his name at the international stage, Virat is tons ahead of Babar. The current Pakistan skipper has 25 hundreds to his name at the international level and will need a huge jump to get anywhere near the 2011 World Cup-winner.
As things stand Virat has won most honours with the Indian team, apart from the T20 World Cup and World Test Championship (WTC). He led India to the final of the WTC while he lost the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final to the Pakistan team. However, Babar Azam will need a decent performance to get anywhere near to the former India captain.
The pair of Virat and Babar were expected to meet in the Asia Cup final, but India’s exit at the Super Four stage meant that they won’t be going head-to-head in the showdown final on Sunday. The pair will next lock horns on October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the group stage of the T20 World Cup.
