Shehzad rues lack of support, says comparison with India’s Kohli brought pressure

Pakistan batsman Ahmed Shehzad indicated that he never got the required backing from his captain or coach in the national team for him to justify the comparisons he drew with Indian captain Virat Kohli.

“Of course, there is pressure due to comparisons. We tend to compare two players without focussing on their respective backgrounds. For any player to succeed, it requires the backing of the coach, captain and cricket board. In short, he or she needs confidence in order to do well,” Shehzad told Cricingif.

Shehzad last played an international match in Pakistan’s T20I against Sri Lanka in Lahore. That was his first match for Pakistan in over two years and his last ODI and Test appearances came in 2017. He remains the only Pakistani batsman to have a century in all formats of the game and averages 40.91 in the 13 Tests he has played thus far.

“Unless and until a player is given required support and a longer rope, his or her confidence won’t increase. Then, they tend to fight for survival,” he said.

“If you look at the backgrounds of Virat, Rohit Sharma, Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Babar Azam, they have been really lucky as well. Kohli had revealed that he was going to be dropped from plenty of series but MS Dhoni backed him. Same was the case with Rohit Sharma. Thus, faith was instilled upon them by Dhoni.

Elsewhere, former Pakistan captain Younis Khan feels Babar Azam cannot be compared to Virat Kohli just yet as he still has a long way to go. Babar, 25, was recently appointed as Pakistan ODI captain. He was already the T20 skipper of the side.

While 31-year-old Kohli is widely regarded as the current best batsmen in the world across formats, Babar has been hailed by commentators and experts as the next big thing in batting.

“You see, Kohli - who is now 31 and at the peak of his career - has been in international cricket for over a decade and has proved himself in all conditions. The 70 international centuries that he has scored is a testimony to his class and abilities,” Younis was quoted as saying.

“Babar, on the other hand, made his international debut barely five years back. He already has 16 centuries under his belt and shows very good averages in both Tests and ODIs, but it will be unfair to start comparing the two right now. If you have to, compare Babar five years (from now) with the dominance that Kohli is showing in his game today,” he added.

Younis further said Babar’s eagerness to learn will take him far.

“Babar made his debut during the last two to three years of my career and I was really impressed by his humility. I have always felt that the more humble you are, you can achieve bigger goals in your life,” he said.

“It’s a young team that he has to lead, though there could be a few players senior in age to him. He has to be protective about the team and take it forward,” he advised.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have agreed on principle to tour England in July after a lengthy teleconference and briefing by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief executive Wasim Khan said on Sunday.

“We had a detailed and comprehensive discussion with the ECB on Friday and after that briefing, the PCB has agreed on principle to send the Pakistan cricket team to England in July for three Tests and three T20I series,” Khan was quoted as saying by Dawn.