Babar Azam vs Virat Kohli: Stats, Records and Who Is Better
Babar Azam and Virat Kohli have been compared since Babar burst into Pakistan’s side in 2015, and the debate gets louder every time India and Pakistan meet. It is a slightly unfair fight in one sense: Kohli is seven years older and has played far more international cricket. But both have been the defining batters of their countries for a decade, so the comparison is worth doing properly.
Below is a format-by-format look at their numbers, their big-match records, captaincy and awards, followed by our honest verdict. Kohli’s ODI figures are as of 1 October 2026; Babar’s are from his most recent series, as noted.
At a glance
| Virat Kohli | Babar Azam | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | India | Pakistan |
| Born | 5 November 1988 | 15 October 1994 |
| Formats still played | ODIs only | Tests, ODIs (T20I place uncertain) |
| ODI runs | 15,109 | About 6,600 |
| ODI hundreds | 55 (world record) | 20 (joint Pakistan record) |
| T20I runs | 4,188 (retired) | 4,596 (most in history) |
| Test hundreds | 30 (retired) | 9 |
| International hundreds | 86 | 32 |
ODIs: Kohli’s format
This is where Kohli has built the greatest one-day record of all time. He has scored 15,109 runs at an average of about 59 with 55 hundreds, the most in ODI history. He was the first batter to reach 50 ODI hundreds, and on 27 September 2026 he became only the second man after Sachin Tendulkar to pass 15,000 ODI runs, getting there in his 303rd innings. Tendulkar needed 377. Kohli has been the fastest to every ODI milestone from 8,000 to 15,000 runs, and he has said the 2027 World Cup will be his last tournament.
Babar’s ODI numbers are excellent in their own right. He has roughly 6,600 runs at an average above 53, with 20 hundreds, level with Saeed Anwar for the most by a Pakistani. He was the fastest batter in history to 5,000 ODI runs, in 97 innings, and he equalled Hashim Amla’s record as the joint-fastest to 6,000. His average is very close to Kohli’s; the gap is in volume and in conversion. Kohli turns far more fifties into hundreds.
T20Is: Babar’s numbers, Kohli’s big nights
Babar is the leading run-scorer in men’s T20I history with 4,596 runs and three hundreds as of June 2026. He passed Rohit Sharma’s total in October 2025. His record as an opener for Pakistan, especially alongside Mohammad Rizwan, carried the team for years. The criticism has always been his strike rate, which sits below the modern ideal for a T20 opener, and it is the main reason he was left out of Pakistan’s T20I side in 2025 and dropped again during the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Kohli retired from T20Is after India won the 2024 T20 World Cup, finishing with 4,188 runs at an average close to 49. His case rests on the size of the moments. His 82 not out against Pakistan at the MCG in 2022, chasing 160 with the game almost lost, is regarded as one of the greatest T20 innings ever played.
Tests: Kohli clearly ahead
Kohli retired from Test cricket in May 2025 with 9,230 runs from 123 Tests at an average of 46.85, with 30 hundreds and a best of 254 not out. His peak between 2016 and 2019 was as good as any batter in the world.
Babar’s Test career has been more uneven. He has nine Test hundreds and averages in the low 40s, with more than 4,700 runs from about 66 Tests. His last Test hundred came against New Zealand in Karachi in December 2022. In 2026 he made 88 against West Indies and 76 at Edgbaston but has not yet ended the drought. He was reappointed Pakistan’s Test captain in July 2026.
India vs Pakistan: the head-to-head moments
- Babar, 68 not out, T20 World Cup, Dubai, 2021. Babar and Rizwan chased India’s total without losing a wicket, giving Pakistan their first ever World Cup win over India.
- Kohli, 82 not out, T20 World Cup, Melbourne, 2022. India needed 28 off the last eight balls when Kohli hit Haris Rauf for two straight sixes, and they won off the very last ball.
- Kohli, 100 not out, Champions Trophy, Dubai, 2025. His 51st ODI hundred, scored as India chased down Pakistan’s total with ease. He passed 14,000 ODI runs in the same innings.
Over the years Kohli has produced more of these big-match innings, which is a big part of how fans judge him.
Captaincy
Kohli captained India in 68 Tests and won 40, both Indian records, and took India to the top of the Test rankings. In ODIs he won 65 of 95 matches. He never won an ICC trophy as captain, which his critics always mention.
Babar led Pakistan in all three formats between 2019 and 2023, stepped down after the 2023 World Cup, returned as white-ball captain in 2024 and resigned again later that year. He has won more T20Is than any other Pakistan captain, 48 of 85, and led them to the 2022 T20 World Cup final. In July 2026 he was handed the Test captaincy again.
Awards
- Kohli: ICC Cricketer of the Decade (2011-2020), ICC ODI Cricketer of the Decade, Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy in 2017 and 2018, and a record four ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year awards.
- Babar: ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2021 and 2022, and the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy as ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year in 2022.
Franchise cricket
Kohli has played every IPL season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and is the competition’s all-time leading run-scorer, with more than 9,000 runs and a record eight hundreds. After years of near misses he finally won the title in 2025, then again in 2026, when he was Player of the Match in the final. Our IPL winners list has the full roll of honour.
Babar is the PSL’s all-time leading run-scorer. In the 2026 season he made 588 runs with two hundreds for Peshawar Zalmi, equalling the single-season record, and Zalmi went on to win the title. See every champion in our PSL winners list.
So who is better?
On the full body of work, Kohli. He has more runs and more hundreds in every format he played, a far stronger Test record, and a habit of producing his best when the stakes are highest. His 55 ODI hundreds may never be matched.
That doesn’t make Babar a lesser player than his reputation. Between 2019 and 2023 he was the most consistent white-ball batter in the world, he is the most prolific T20I batter ever, and his ODI average is almost level with Kohli’s. He is the best Pakistan batter of his generation, and the comparison only feels lopsided because he is being measured against one of the greatest batters the game has seen.
If you are picking one batter to win you a one-day knockout, most people would still pick Kohli. If you are picking Pakistan’s most important batter of the last decade, it is Babar, and it isn’t close.
Frequently asked questions
Who has more international hundreds, Babar or Kohli?
Kohli, with 86 (30 in Tests, 55 in ODIs and 1 in T20Is). Babar has 32.
Who has more T20I runs?
Babar. He is the leading run-scorer in men’s T20I history, ahead of Rohit Sharma and Kohli.
Is Virat Kohli still playing?
Yes, in ODIs. He retired from T20Is in 2024 and from Tests in May 2025, and has said he aims to play the 2027 World Cup.
Has Babar Azam won an ICC trophy?
Yes, as a young player: he was part of the Pakistan side that won the 2017 Champions Trophy, beating India in the final. As captain he came closest at the 2022 T20 World Cup, where Pakistan lost the final to England. For the full history, see our T20 World Cup winners list and Cricket World Cup winners list.
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