Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam shut down a journalist’s question comparing him to Virat Kohli after his side beat Hyderabad Kingsmen by four wickets in a tense finish on Thursday.
The question was asked during the post-match press conference where a journalist pointed out that Babar often carries innings but does not finish them, and asked whether the comparison with Kohli, a batter of similar style who tends to see games through, was fair or whether people should stop making it altogether.
Babar was sharp in his response. “Look, I understand why you’re asking this question, but let’s leave that comparison aside,” he said. “The main thing is the conditions and the match situation, what the team requires, what the run rate is, how the pitch is behaving. Based on all that, you have to plan your game and play accordingly.”
He acknowledged that not every innings goes to plan. “Sometimes you feel it’s an easy pitch, but things don’t go your way. Your shots don’t find the gaps, or you don’t get the runs you expect despite trying. In those moments, I talk to myself, remind myself of my strengths, and stick to my game plan, the way I know I play best.”
On the question of finishing matches, he pushed back firmly.
“You may think I haven’t finished matches, but I have finished many.”
Babar scored 43 off 37 balls in a chase of 146, with Zalmi needing 30 runs from the final 30 balls at the time of his dismissal.
Zalmi looked comfortable at this stage before wickets began to fall in a cluster, leaving them needing 14 runs off the final over.
Iftikhar Ahmed settled the nerves quickly, hitting a four off the first ball and a six off the fourth to take Zalmi over the line with little fuss.
Zalmi currently sits fourth in the points table with 2 wins from 3 matches, level on 5 points with third-placed Islamabad United.
