Pakistan: Babar Azam, Pakistan’s latest batting sensation, has said he doesn’t want any comparisons with Virat Kohli. Azam went on to add that he would like to achieve for Pakistan what Virat Kohli has done for India, reports Hindustan Times.

Babar Azam has said he does not want any comparisons with Indian captain and a prolific run-scorer across formats, Virat Kohli, adding that he would like to be known as ‘Babar Azam of Pakistan’.

During an interaction with his fans on Twitter, Babar was asked if he would like to be called as the ‘Virat Kohli of Pakistan’. In his reply, Babar emphasised that there were no comparisons between the two cricketers, as Kohli is a ‘great batsman’ while he is only a ‘beginner’.

While Babar wants to create his own image, it is widely known that the right-handed young Pakistani batsman wants to emulate the feats that Kohli has achieved on the field.

Earlier this year, during a training session in Lahore, Babar had expressed that he would like to achieve for Pakistan what Kohli has done for India.

‘I don’t play like him, our styles are different. But I would also like to be as successful a performer like Virat Kohli is for his team. I want to contribute to my team’s good performances. I want to score when most required. I still have a long way to go but I know what my direction is,’ Babar was quoted as saying by PTI.

In December last year, Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur had compared Babar with Kohli. “He (Azam) is a young guy who will be an exceptional player,” said Arthur, during an interaction with Perth’s 6PR radio.

‘I’ll go so far as to say, at the same age, I reckon he’s as good as Virat Kohli, which I know that’s high praise but he’s right up there,’ Arthur added.

Babar has been a force to reckon with in the Pakistani batting ranks. In January 2017, the right-hander became the joint-fastest to 1,000 ODI runs — a feat achieved during the tour of Australia.

He achieved the feat in his 21st innings, thus joining the elite company of Sir Vivian Richards, Kevin Pietersen, Quinton de Kock and Jonathan Trott in being the fastest to 1,000 runs.

In 2016, the bilateral series between Pakistan and West Indies saw Babar smacking three consecutive centuries in ODIs, thus becoming the third Pakistani to do so.