Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer has given a strong and honest statement on Pakistan’s star batting star and former captain Babar Azam amid the ongoing Pakistan Super League 2026. Babar Azam recently scored a century in 52 balls against Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing PSL 2026.
The Peshawar Zalmi star has been in great form, scoring 401 runs in seven innings in the tournament at an average of 100.25 and a strike rate of 143.73. However, Jaffer has pointed to a different side of the story behind his downfall in the international arena.
Wasim Jaffer shares honest take on Babar Azam’s brilliance in PSL 2026
The former Indian opener has made it clear that there is no doubt on Babar’s talent. In fact, he believes Babar is one of the finest players Pakistan has ever produced, saying he showed pure class with his batting style and consistency.
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But Jafar feels that too much publicity around him went against him. Over the years, Babar has been constantly compared to India’s modern era legend Virat Kohli. And Jafar feels that this comparison has become bigger than his own game.
Fans and media started putting him in the same league and even started calling him the King of Pakistan, as Kohli is also the king in India. And the cricket pundit believes that this is where things started to go off the rails for Babar, adding that this extra attention and pressure has affected his mindset.
Jaffer blames excessive publicity and Virat Kohli comparisons for Babar Azam’s downfall
Jaffer said that Babar Azam was trying to match Kohli’s level in every situation instead of playing his natural game and this led to his downfall in all formats.
Wasim Jaffer said on a podcast, “Absolutely. There’s no doubt about it. He’s done well as well. I obviously like him a lot as a player. He’s a good player; there’s no doubt about that. But I felt he was over-glorified and over-hyped. A lot of people started comparing him to Virat Kohli. He was made the king. And I think that was the reason for his downfall.”
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He further added, “People around him also consider him like Virat Kohli. The media is calling the youth kings, or whatever is going on. Unnecessary comparisons with Virat started. And I think the pressure started playing in his mind. He tried to be like Virat Kohli. He tried to play like Virat. He tried to perform like that. Virat is one of the greatest players of this generation. So, I felt the media hyped him up too much. And that’s where his downfall started.” It happened.”
Captaincy struggle increased pressure on Babar Azam
Apart from his batting, Babar Azam failed to create the kind of legacy that was expected of him as a leader. The former Indian batsman said that the right-handed batsman was given a good opportunity to lead the team, but he failed to take the team to the top and that only increased the pressure.
Jaffer said, “Also, Babar also failed as the captain of Pakistan. He could not make the place in the team that he should have. Even though he got the chance, he could not live up to the expectations. I just thought that he did not take Pakistan cricket to the top and he lost his chance. But there is no doubt that he is one of the best batsmen Pakistan has ever produced.”
Comparisons with Kohli and the media calling him the King contributed to Babar’s downfall. pic.twitter.com/fNEyfGiU59
– Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) 24 April 2026
