Peshawar Zalmi beat Hyderabad Kingsmen off the final ball of their PSL 2026 match at the National Stadium in Karachi on April 8 and Babar Azam scored 43 off 37 balls in the chase.

It should have been a straightforward post-match press conference for a captain whose side had just won a thriller. Instead a journalist's question about Virat Kohli turned it into something else entirely and Babar's response has been the talking point of the evening across both sides of the border.

The question in PSL conference that caused reaction and what Babar Azam said

The reporter framed the question around finishing matches, pointing out that Virat Kohli is known for seeing chases through to the end and suggesting Babar lacks that quality. "Virat Kohli has a similar range of shots to you but he finishes matches consistently which is something people say you lack. Since many compare you to him what are your views on that comparison?"

Babar Azam was visibly irritated. He did not engage with the substance of the question and did not offer any statistical defence or reasoned response. He simply shut it down. "Let's end this here. Keep such thoughts to yourself. Stop the comparisons and move on. It's your misconception that I haven't finished matches." That was it. The press conference moved on but the exchange did not.

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The context behind the Virat Kohli comparison and why it has followed Babar for years

The Babar Azam-Virat Kohli comparison has been a feature of cricket discourse since Babar emerged as Pakistan's most elegant top-order batter. In 2021, Babar Azam ended Virat Kohli's 1,258-day reign as the number one ODI batter in ICC rankings. In 2023, he became the fastest batter to 5,000 ODI runs in just 97 innings, quicker than Kohli.

The numbers have always been comparable and the strokeplay has always invited the conversation. Babar Azam himself has consistently shown respect for Virat Kohli in public, called him one of the best in the world and the two have exchanged warm gestures on the field including Kohli's signed-jersey moment in 2023.

The specific criticism around finishing in T20 cricket has been a recurring theme for Babar. His strike rate and his ability to accelerate at the death have been questioned by Pakistani fans and media for several years. In PSL 2026 so far he has scored 82 runs across two matches at a strike rate of 126.15 with 10 fours and just one six.

Against Hyderabad on Wednesday he batted until the 15th over and was out lbw to Hassan Khan for 43 with Zalmi still needing runs. Iftikhar Ahmed's unbeaten 15 eventually won the game off the final ball. The question from the journalist was provocative but it did not arrive from nowhere and that context is part of why Babar's reaction landed the way it did.

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