For years, the cricketing world has debated the parallels between Babar Azam and Virat Kohli — some calling the comparisons premature, others calling them inevitable. But cricket often writes its own stories, and Babar’s latest century has added another chapter to a narrative that refuses to fade.
On 14 November in Rawalpindi, Babar Azam finally broke his long wait for an international hundred — 807 days and 83 innings after his previous century. That exact number of innings immediately sparked déjà vu, because Virat Kohli’s most famous drought also lasted 83 innings. The coincidence was too striking to overlook, especially for two players seen as modern standard-bearers for Pakistan and India.
Babar’s unbeaten 102 off 119 balls against Sri Lanka was more than a match-winning performance; it was a weight lifted, a moment where the pressure of expectation finally cracked open.
His last hundred had come against Nepal in the 2023 Asia Cup. He kept scoring runs in patches, but that three-figure mark kept slipping out of reach — the kind of psychological barrier all great batters face at some point.
Kohli went through a similar chapter. After a 136 against Bangladesh in 2019, he endured 1,021 days without a hundred before finally ending the drought with an unbeaten 122 against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup.
What the 83 Innings Really Tell Us
Kohli entered his slump already carrying the weight of greatness — 70 international centuries in 395 matches. Even during his leanest period, he produced 2,708 runs at an average of 36.10 and a strike rate of 73.24. His problem wasn’t form; it was finishing. He scored 26 fifties, suffered nine ducks, and still smashed 251 fours and 48 sixes.
Babar’s path looked different. Before the drought, he had 31 hundreds in 257 games — a remarkable tally, but still a career in progress rather than one at its peak. Across the 83 innings, Babar collected 2,423 runs at 31.06 with 20 fifties and five ducks, hitting 266 fours and 32 sixes.
Format by Format — A Tale of Two Journeys
Test Cricket: A Harsh Reality
The longest format punished both players.
Babar managed 594 runs in 12 Tests at 24.75, his highest score being 81 — a gritty knock against South Africa in Cape Town earlier this year.
Kohli fared slightly better with 872 runs in 18 matches at 27.25, but he too existed in a zone far below his usual standards.
Test cricket exposed their vulnerabilities more than any other format and amplified the pressure of their droughts.
ODIs: Familiar Ground, Different Outcomes
ODIs, traditionally their strongest format, once again highlighted their different rhythms.
Babar scored 1,012 runs at 33.73 in 33 innings, with nine fifties, but rarely dominated games the way he once did. His strike rate of 77.99 remained steady, but the authority was missing.
Kohli, in contrast, used ODIs as his anchor. In 23 innings, he accumulated 824 runs at 35.82 with a strike rate of 87.94, and produced ten fifty-plus scores.
T20Is: Where the Gap Widens
Babar’s T20I numbers 817 runs at 34.04 and a strike rate of 131.56 look good on paper, but the struggles were clear in real time. The increasing demands of modern T20 cricket often left him fighting for tempo and intent, ultimately costing him his place before he made a comeback last month.
Kohli remained India’s crisis man. His 1,012 runs at 50.60 with a strike rate of 140.94 included several trademark chases. His unbeaten 94 against West Indies in Hyderabad remains the standout innings of his drought period.
Home vs Away — A Reversal of Patterns
Kohli thrived at home, scoring 1,255 runs at 43.27 in 35 innings. Away from home, his average dipped to 30.10.
Babar’s graph moved in the opposite direction.
At home, he averaged just 24.00 across 30 innings a number that doesn’t resemble the Babar Pakistan fans are used to. But the moment he travelled, he settled into rhythm. Away from home, he averaged 35.42 with 13 fifties. Even at neutral venues, he maintained 34.63 in 13 innings.
Two Careers at Very Different Stages
Once Kohli broke his drought, his resurgence was spectacular. He added 11 more centuries over the next two years, lifted the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, and bowed out of Tests and T20Is with one of the most complete careers modern cricket has seen.
Whether he adds more ODIs at 37 remains uncertain but nothing he does now can change the legacy he’s built.
Babar’s story is still unfolding. At 31, he is stepping into the phase where batters often hit their true prime. With the 2026 T20 World Cup and the 2027 ODI World Cup ahead, he has the platform, the time, and now the confidence.
This century may not simply mark the end of a drought it may be the beginning of his second act.
