India captain Rohit Sharma and Pakistan captain Babar Azam have some similarities in their respective international careers. Both are the most talented batsman of their generation from their respective countries. Both were prodigies since childhood and were destined for bigger success in international cricket.
Both are classy, and elegant; while one has an exquisite, world-famous cover drive, the other has the most languid, fear-inducing, best-in-the-world pull shot. Both are the talisman of their teams and will be carrying huge expectations in the upcoming matches between the two countries.
Rohit Sharma is a bigger match-winner than Babar Azam in Test cricket
The numbers so far in their Test careers do suggest that.
Recently a Sharma fan on Twitter (or X) sort of ‘exposed’ Azam’s numbers and compared it with Sharma’s, and pointed out that the Indian opener has made more match-winning contributions to his team in the longest format that the Pakistani batting lynchpin has to his side.
In Test matches that India have won, Rohit Sharma has scored 2551 runs at a magnificent average of 64, and has notched up 10 centuries and 10 fifties – that is Rohit has scored 10 Test hundreds and India have won in all those matches.
On the contrary, though, Babar too has good numbers in won Test matches, they pale in comparison to Rohit Sharma’s. In the Test that Pakistan have won, Babar has scored 1477 runs at an average of 54, which is good but much lesser than Rohit. Babar has raised 9 Test hundreds in his career so far, out of which 4 have come in victories.
Further, a litmus test for an Asian batsman is how he performs outside Asia, and in particular in the SENA countries, which are South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia.
Rohit Sharma is miles ahead of Babar Azam on this parameter: while Babar has scored 416 runs in SENA Test, Rohit has scored 569 runs in England alone.
Rohit was also part of the twin Test series India won in Australia in 2018/19 and 2020/21, while Babar has not won a single Test in Australia.
Since this is an debate :
Babar Azam in won matches in tests
Runs : 1438
Average : 57
Centuries:4/9
Against SENA : 416 runsRohit Sharma in won matches tests
Runs : 2551 runs
Average 64
Centuries:10/10
Against England only : 569 runsNote these stats are in winning cause,…
— User45 (@140of113) August 11, 2023
