'Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam': Pakistan skipper smashes 4th Test ton in 2022, sparks massive 'GOAT' debate

Babar Azam smashed his fourth Test century of 2022 in the first Test against New Zealand in Karachi, breaking multiple records. After the 3-0 drubbing at home against England, the Pakistan skipper was under fire, with many calling for him to resign. 

PCB chief Ramiz Raja was sacked from his role, and Najam Sethi was instilled in his place while Shahid Afridi was named interim chief selector after the debacle at home against the Three Lions. Amidst all the noise, Babar remained calm and hit back at his critics in stunning fashion. 

However, fans being fans couldn't keep calm as Babar's century sparked a massive 'Greatest of all time debate' on Twitter. Throughout his career, Babar has been compared to former Indian skipper Virat Kohli, and while the pair maintain a harmonious relationship, fans continue to debate who among the pair is a better player, with Kohli's last Test century coming way back in 2019. 

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Check how fans reacted to Babar Azam's latest century:

#BabarAzam breaks Ricky's record of scoring 50's as a captain in one year!!

Also broke the record of #ViratKohli's test avg record!!
Absolutely GOAT......#PakvsNz | #TayyariKiwiHai pic.twitter.com/IRnesNR8jV

— Najam Ali | (@Najam7_) December 26, 2022

RECORD ALERT: Babar Azam's Test average goes above Virat Kohli's for the first time in his career. An excellent achievement!

Since Kohli's last Test hundred in 2019, Babar has elevated his average from 36 to 48, while Kohli has dropped the average from 54 to 48. #PAKvNZ

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) December 26, 2022

Babar Azam scoring smoothly at 60 Strike Rate in Test cricket.

Virat Kohli scoring 1 run on 22 balls in sub continent conditions.

Laut aao Kohli bhai, laut aao. pic.twitter.com/UveEKnTtTq

— TvvitterWala (@TvvitterWala) December 26, 2022

Babar Azam now has a higher test average than Virat Kohli and Joe Root

— Dweplea (@dweplea) December 26, 2022

Those who are comparing Babar Azam with Virat Kohli, I would like to say only one thing to them, there is a lot of difference between Ferrari and Nano.#ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/t7nWg88Vi0

—  (@KohliCrews) December 26, 2022

Most 50+ scores as a CAPTAIN in a calendar year:


 24 - Ricky Ponting (2005)
22 - Misbah Ul Haq (2013) 21 - Virat Kohli (2017/19)

The Pakistani Skipper just can't stop breaking records be it National or Int'l  #BabarAzampic.twitter.com/kS9S6eGvRB

— Team Babar Azam (@Team_BabarAzam) December 26, 2022

Captains to Score most 100s in a Year

11 - Virat Kohli (2017)
11 - Virat Kohli (2018)
9 - Ricky Ponting (2005)
9 - Graeme Smith (2005)
9 - Ricky Ponting (2006)
8 - Babar Azam (2022)* pic.twitter.com/Rh1uTlLSpq

— SUPRVIRAT (@ishant_tweetz) December 26, 2022

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Meanwhile Babar's latest ton on Monday, December 26 helped his side reach a fightworthy score after they were reduced to 48/3 earlier in the day as Pakistan lost wickets back-to-back. Babar joined hands with former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who made his return to the national team after a long time, and on his return he also smashed a fifty, replacing out-of-form Mohammed Rizwan. 

The pair's 129* run partnership helped Pakistan cross the 239-run mark at the time of writing after a shaky start.