"I Choose Virat Kohli Over Babar Azam": Former Pakistan Women Team Skipper Sidra Nawaz

Virat Kohli has firmly established himself as a cricketing legend, often hailed as the greatest modern-day batter. Sidra Nawaz, a former Pakistan captain, was asked to share her opinion on the ongoing debate between fans of India and Pakistan about who is the superior player: Virat Kohli or Babar Azam. "I like them both but personally I choose Virat Kohli," Sidra told media.

Kohli's illustrious career includes over 500 matches across all formats. He was named ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year 2023. His most successful format has been ODIs, where he amassed 13,906 runs in 295 games. Kohli spent an impressive 1,258 days as the top-ranked ODI batsman before Babar Azam took over in April 2021.

India vs Pakistan Cricket Rivalry

Babar Azam briefly lost his top spot to Shubman Gill in 2023 but reclaimed it by December. Meanwhile, the Women's T20 World Cup is underway, with India aiming to recover from a heavy defeat against New Zealand. Pakistan enters their next match with confidence after defeating Sri Lanka by 31 runs.

Sidra Nawaz believes that despite India's historical dominance over Pakistan, current momentum favours Pakistan. "If we take a look at the past meetings then majority of the times India has won but in this World Cup Pakistan started off strong with a solid win over Sri Lanka and India was unable to win against NZ and were bundled out early," she said during an interaction.

Sidra Nawaz's Cricket Journey

Nawaz began her international career in 2014 against Australia and participated in numerous ODI and T20 World Cups until 2023. She played domestic cricket for teams like Lahore, Punjab, Federal Capital, Higher Education Commission, Omar Associates, Saif Sports Saga, and State Bank of Pakistan.

In 2021, Nawaz captained Pakistan A against West Indies in a T20I match. Her leadership skills earned her recognition as a significant figure in Pakistani cricket. She advocates for more bilateral series between India and Pakistan and suggests that India should visit Pakistan for the Champions Trophy in 2025.

Future Prospects for Bilateral Series

"Yes definitely (On whether India and Pakistan should play more often), I think we lack because we can't play bilateral series between each other," Nawaz expressed. She believes it's crucial for both nations to engage in at least one series annually despite political challenges.

Nawaz emphasised that many countries are now touring Pakistan, including England for an upcoming Test series starting October 7. "India have played on all the pitches around the world; it's time they experience our pitches as well," she concluded.