Top 3 Reasons Babar Azam Could Surpass Cricket Legends Like Viv Richards and Virat Kohli

The legendary Pakistani international cricketer and the former captain of the Pakistan national cricket team in all three formats of the game, Mohammad Babar Azam, who is currently serving as the skipper of the Peshawar Zalmi squad in the ongoing 2025 Pakistan Super League, is often hailed as one of the greatest and most prolific run-scorers of all time in the international cricket. Babar Azam made his official ODI debut in the 2015 home series against Zimbabwe.

Ever since, there has been no turning back for the 30-year-old Pakistan’s cricketing sensation, Babar Azam. As of April 2025, Babar Azam has numerous breathtaking records under his name, including; the third-fastest Pakistani cricketer to reach 1000 ODI runs in just 21 innings, the fastest Pakistani cricketer to reach the coveted benchmark of 4000 ODI runs in a total of 45 innings and many others.

Well, keeping his current dominant on-field exploits in mind, it’s fair to look upon Babar Azam as a potential international cricketer who might surpass the legendary names like Virat Kohli and Viv Richards in international cricket.

In this article we will take a look at the three major reasons why Pakistan’s Babar Azam might surpass the glitzy records of legendary cricketers like Viv Richards and Virat Kohli in international cricket.

Top 3 Reasons Babar Azam Could Surpass Cricket Legends Like Viv Richards and Virat Kohli

• Babar Azam’s Phenomenal ODI Records

As mentioned earlier, Pakistan’s cricketing stalwart, Babar Azam, has numerous prestigious records under his name in the ODI format. Over the years since he first made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in 2015, Babar Azam has reached numerous coveted milestones, including the third-fastest Pakistani cricketer to reach 1000 ODI runs in just 21 innings, the fastest Pakistani cricketer to reach the coveted benchmark of 4000 ODI runs in a total of 45 innings.

Also, the second-fastest Asian batsman to reach the benchmark of 3000 runs in ODI cricket in 68 innings and most significantly, the fastest player to score 5000 runs in ODI cricket in a total of just 97 innings. Furthermore, Babar Azam most recently established himself as the fastest player to register 6000 ODI runs, speaking volumes about his unmatched batting excellence.

Well, with such unmatched batting excellence, Babar can undoubtedly become an even bigger player than Virat Kohli and Viv Richards in the coming few years.

• Babar Azam’s Unmatched Adaptability Across All Formats

Well, it’s a well-acclaimed fact that Pakistan’s Babar is an extremely rare international cricketer who undoubtedly holds the competence to dominate opponent teams across all the three formats – Tests, ODIs and T20Is-with the same courage and supremacy.

Unlike the majority of international cricketers who generally witness a dip in their batting averages in at least one of the three formats for numerous reasons, Babar Azam has continued to maintain phenomenal batting averages across all the three formats so far in his international cricketing career. An anecdote of Babar Azam’s career records across all the three formats so far is provided below:

Format	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100s	50s
Tests	59	108	9	4235	196	42.77	7788	54.37	9	29
ODIs	131	128	15	6235	158	55.17	7089	87.95	19	37
T20Is	128	121	15	4223	122	39.83	3268	129.22	3	36

• Babar Azam’s Mental Toughness On The Field

Well, Babar has undoubtedly played match-defining roles for the Pakistan national cricket team over the years and has outshined in matches where the stakes were extremely high, and the situation was terrifically intense. A few instances where Babar fought through the excruciating pressure and created an impact on his team include the thrilling 2021 T20 World Cup match against India where Babar smashed a match-winning knock of 68 runs off 52 deliveries.

Additionally, the third ODI at the Centurion 2021 against South Africa also proved to be a gamechanger for Babar as he scored a phenomenal total of 94 runs off 82 deliveries. Keeping in mind his unmatched batting dominance and his unwavering stability on the pitch even under high-pressure situations, Babar Azam can undoubtedly surpass Kohli and Richards in being the ultimate match-winner for his team.