Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: Who is better and the batting GOAT? The stats comparison

Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: Who is better and the batting GOAT? The stats comparison originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are two of the best batters of their era from India and Pakistan, respectively. 

While Virat Kohli has made his mark with his run-scoring exploits and success in all formats of the game, Babar Azam is regarded as one of Pakistan's top batters.

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The careers of the two cricketers have been quite contrasting. Virat Kohli has announced retirement from Test cricket in May 2025 and from T20 Internationals in June 2024, thereby playing ODI as his sole international format. 

On the other hand, Babar still plays for Pakistan in all three international formats.

Kohli has an edge over Babar in terms of ODI runs, centuries, and various other international records. Whereas Babar scored more runs in T20I matches than Kohli. Now who has the better record? Let's look at the format-wise comparison.

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Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: Who has more international runs?

Being the senior one, Virat Kohli made his international Test debut in 2011, five years before Babar Azam. The former Indian skipper has played more than 100 Test matches in his career scoring 9,230 runs.

In ODIs, Kohli has over 15,000 runs, 8,000+ more than Azam's tally. In T20Is, though, the Pakistani batter surpassed the Indian star despite starting his career six years after.

In Tests

In ODIs

In T20Is

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Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: Who has more international centuries?

When it comes to scoring centuries in international cricket across the three formats, Virat Kohli is only second to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.

Tendulkar is the only batter in the history of the sport to score 100 international centuries. Kohli is currently 19 short of the legend's tally.

In terms of overall international centuries, Babar has more T20I centuries than Virat but can comparatively boast of only 32 hundreds to his name. 

In Tests

In ODIs

In T20Is

Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: Who has more double centuries in Test matches?

Virat Kohli scored seven double centuries in Test matches, the most among Indian batters.

Babar Azam, on the other hand, is yet to score a double hundred.

Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: Who has scored more runs in World Cups?

Virat Kohli has appeared in four ODI World Cups to date where he played 37 matches and scored 1,795 runs. Babar Azam, on the other hand, played in two ODI World Cups where in 17 matches he scored 794 runs.

In T20 World Cups once again Virat Kohli has the upper hand, as he scored 1,292 runs in 33 matches spanning across six editions. Babar Azam has played three T20 World Cups where he appeared in 17 matches and scored 640 runs.

In ODI World Cups

In T20 World Cups

Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: IPL and PSL stats

Virat Kohli and Babar have played in Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL) since the inception of the competitions, and are the top scorers in their respective leagues.

While Kohli tops the chart in the IPL scoring 9,336 runs in 283 matches, Azam has 4,380 PSL runs in 111 matches. 

While Azam enjoyed PSL success with Karachi Kings (2020) and Peshawar Zalmi (2026), Kohli lifted back-to-back IPL trophies with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2025 and 2026.

Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: Who has won more titles?

Virat Kohli has more major team trophies to his name than Babar Azam, as he has triumphed in numerous ICC tournaments, the Asia Cup, and the Indian Premier League (IPL).

In the domestic T20 leagues, Babar has performed well too, winning the Pakistan Super League (PSL) with Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi.

Below is the list of comparisons in six major international and domestic tournaments where both captains have won as part of the team, not as captains.

Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: Who has won more individual ICC awards?

Virat Kohli has been honoured with the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year award in 2017 and 2018, as well as four Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year awards. 

Babar Azam has received three awards from ICC, which include the Men's Cricketer of the Year in 2022 and two consecutive ODI Cricketer of the Year awards in 2021 and 2022.