LAHORE: Pakistan batting coach Younis Khan believed young Babar Azam should not be compared to Indian captain Virat Kohli, saying the Lahore-born cricketer has his own class.

“It is unfair to compare Babar with Kohli because the latter has been playing international cricket for more than a decade, whereas Babar has only played just about 4-5 years at the top level,” a website quoted the former Pakistan skipper as saying.

“Don’t put this thing [comparison with Kohli] in his mind and let him do his wonders. He has his own class and I want him to become a legendary batsman and inspire Pakistan to many victories.”

Younis, who holds the record for the most runs and most centuries scored by a Pakistani in Test cricket, said when he first played One-day International (ODI) and Test, he was being compared with batting legend Inzamam-ul-Haq and was often labelled as his replacement.

“I was put under pressure when I was compared with Inzamam who debuted in the 1990s and had the 1992 World Cup on his credit,” he said.

Younis, who led Pakistan to victory in the 2009 World Twenty20, also called for the resumption of Pakistan-India cricket while also stressing on the impact it had on his career.

“Pakistan and India need to play bilateral series on regular basis because fans, on both sides of the border love seeing them play. My career trajectory completely changed after 2004-05 series against India, where I was able to perform really well. It helped me land a county contract as well,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2020