Cricket in modern times have been privileged to have so many great batsmen take the game to next level. Babar Azam and Virat Kohli are the top Two Players among so many great batsmen. The two have enthralled cricket fans across the world, with perfect batting, such consistency and the skill to deliver under a lot of pressure. Of course, comparisons will be made between the two but each has a distinct legacy in the history of international cricket.

Virat Kohli has arguably been one of the greatest batsmen that ever played cricket. His steadiness across all three formats has become legendary. Kohli has a never say die mentality when it comes to runs and on-field intensity which has no equal. He has the ability to run in at a wicket and nick it for boundaries whilst not giving a single chance to the opposing bowling.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam has broken through the ranks very quickly to become Pakistan's mainstay at number one in the order. His overt bounce, skill at the crease are reminiscent of the best you will find in the world. What makes Babar so unique is this elegant combination of grace and finesse, and with his contributions unmatched across formats for years now Pakistan has been successful.

Stats and Records:

Statistics never show the complete picture but they do shine some light into these two cricketers being uber-dominant. Kohli who made his ODI debut in 2008 he has over 25,000 international runs and several centuries in Tests,ODIs and T20 against the best team. His all format dominance and adaptability has been one of his big strengths.

Though Babar is relatively fresh into international cricket, scores thundering already The all-time listed player in ICC rankings and holds many records for pakistan. Across formats, his batting averages reveal that he seems to be able to adjust to different conditions as well.

Leadership and Impact: Guiding Their Nation to Glory

Both players have been great to their country as well. Kohli was aggressive while playing and later as captain of India for fitness revolution, a lot of historic overseas wins. His leadership turned India into a big force, mostly in Test cricket.

Having to wear the cap for Pakistan, Babar Azam has borne heavy weight. Pakistan has enjoyed relative peace and match winning performances under him, especially in the white-ball arena. The maturity done to Tranquility and leading-by-example started the revival of Pakistan in the world.

Playing Styles and Adaptabilityt

Kohli was brutal, and he looked every bit a force to be reckoned with on world cricket. There is no greater chases bunter than him, he thrives in pressure and boasts of exceptional fourth wicket anchoring. Babar is a complete player with his clever footwork, solid timing and expansive K-run capability.

However Babar is usually associated with class and traditional stroke play. Watching his cover drives and wristy flicks are sheer pleasure. He has improved everywhere, starting from the defensive side of batting and can shift gears more than most hence an all-rounder as far as formats go.

A Legacy Beyond Comparison

Who is better Babar Azam or Virat Kohli, will be debated for as long these two are active. Kohli is already a legends in his own time, whilst Babar slowly but surely making history on his own terms. Both of these batters have inspired the world with their sheer arts and determination, and any cricket follower should be lucky to see them in action.Instead of comparing, who knows…maybe the most  clever approach is to revel in their journey and how each one contributed to the game.

Babar Azam and Virat Kohli are two of the finest batters of their generation. Their comparison debates have often intrigued fans and ex-cricketers on social media.https://t.co/F3lx8O74IQ

— CricketNDTV (@CricketNDTV) February 18, 2025

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Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah has returned to the no. 1 position in the Test bowling rankings, while the Indian opener Yashsavi Jaiswal has moved to his career-best ranking in the Test batting rankings. Also, the former Indian captain Virat Kohli has returned to the top 15 places of the Test batting rankings.

India strongly started the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia by winning the five-match Test series opener by 295 runs at Perth Stadium. 

The 30-year-old Indian right-arm fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah led the Indian team in the Perth Test due to the absence of the regular captain Rohit Sharma, who was on parental leave during the Test series opener. Stand-in captain Bumrah inspired the Indian team to make a strong comeback in the game after ending the first innings with only 150 runs.

Watch: Jasprit Bumrah gets a special name from Aussie commentators

Jasprit Bumrah returns to no.1 Test bowling ranking

Bumrah’s dominant fifer resulted in the Australian batting collapse at 104 runs. Since then, the hosts didn’t get any chance to make at least a little comeback. After picking up five wickets in Australia’s first innings, captain Bumrah took three more wickets in the fourth innings, including dismissing the set batter Travis Head for 89 runs, where the Indian captain outsmarted Head with his perfectly calculated setup. 

While Bumrah won the Player of the Match award in that Perth Test, he climbed to the no. 1 place of the ICC Test bowling rankings after earning his career-best rating points of 883. In the meantime, Mohammed Siraj improved three places in the same rankings, as he is standing at the no. 25 place. 

Jaiswal and Kohli significantly climbed in Test batting rankings

On the other hand, Jaiswal and Kohli shined with their bats during India’s second innings of the Perth Test. While Jaiswal scored 161 runs after securing 200+ runs in an opening partnership with KL Rahul, Kohli finally found his Test form by scoring 100 not out. While Jaiswal reached second place in the ICC Test batting rankings for the first time, Kohli jumped nine spots to settle his latest Test batting rankings in 13th position. 

Meanwhile, the Aussie star Head climbed to 10th place in the ICC Test batting rankings.

Despite not playing the Test series opener, Indian cricketers Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin are holding the no. 1 and no. 2 positions, respectively, in the ICC Test all-rounder rankings.

In the latest ICC Test batting ranking announcement, former Indian captain Virat Kohli slipped to the lowest points in the last 10 years. 

While the 36-year-old Virat Kohli is playing the senior batter role of the Test team, he recently disappointed in the three-match home Test series against New Zealand. While India suffered a shocking 3-0 defeat in the home Test series, the right-handed batter scored only 93 runs in six innings. 

After scoring a duck in the Test series opener at Bengaluru, Kohli scored fighting 70 runs in their second innings of the Bengaluru Test. However, his next four innings scores were 1, 17, 4, and 1 run, respectively. 

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Virat Kohli is now in the 22nd ICC Test batting rankings

Kohli’s poor batting performances forced him to go down eight spots in the ICC Test batting rankings as he is standing in 22nd place. It is his worst ICC Test batting rankings in almost the last 10 years. Last time, Kohli was outside the top 20 ICC Test batting rankings in December 2014. Meanwhile, the Indian captain Rohit Sharma also slipped to 26th position. 

While Indian batters Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, and Shubman Gill strongly performed in the recently concluded home Test series against New Zealand, they are in strong positions in the ICC Test batting rankings. 

Pant, Gill, and Jaiswal are shining in the Test batting rankings

Rishabh Pant finished the Test series as the leading run-scorer with 261 runs, including three half-centuries. By climbing to the five spots, the left-handed wicketkeeper-batter’s latest Test batting ranking is no. 6. 

Despite scoring 190 runs, the opener Jaiswal slipped one place to shining at the fourth place. While Shubman Gill scored 144 runs, he improved his rating to four places by standing in the 16th position. 

Sarfaraz Khan, who shined in the Bengaluru Test with a 150-run knock, scored only 21 runs in the next four innings. By falling to 11 places, he is standing in the joint 77th place.

English star Joe Root and New Zealand star Kane Williamson are in the first and second positions, respectively, in the latest ICC Test batting rankings. The new English star Harry Brook is in third place in the Test batting rankings. 

Australia has overtaken India in the ICC Test rankings after the annual update. However, India has retained its top position in ODIs and T20Is.

In this cycle, only the matches played after May 2021 have been used as the basis for deciding the rankings. This means India’s 2-1 series win in Australia during December 2020–January 2021 has not been counted when determining the rankings.

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ICC Test Rankings

Australia, which is at the top of the ranking, has 124 rating points on its account. India has 118 rating points. At the same time, England, which is in third place in the ranking, has 105 rating points. Apart from this, there has been no change in the standings of other test teams.

ICC ODI Standings

In the ODI rankings, India (122) has six rating points more than Australia (116). In this, South Africa is in third place, just four rating points behind Australia. Pakistan (106) is in fourth place, while New Zealand (101) is in fifth place.

ICC T20I Dynamics

India is still at the top of the T20I with 264 points. However, its lead over Australia has been reduced from 11 to seven points. South Africa has made the biggest gain in the latest rankings, moving from sixth to fourth. Whereas the Pakistan team has slipped two places to seventh place, and Scotland has overtaken Zimbabwe to be 12th.