Virat Kohli is officially a single-format international cricketer after retiring from Tests in May 2025 and T20 Internationals in June 2024, leaving him to focus solely on ODIs. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Babar Azam is still tearing it up across all three international formats, setting up a wild statistical showdown between two of this era’s absolute best batters from India and Pakistan.
Who Owns the International Scoring Charts?
When you look at the raw numbers, the story of their careers couldn’t be clearer, but it’s got some real twists. Kohli, being the senior statesman, got his international Test debut way back in 2011, a full five years before Azam even stepped onto the big stage. That head start shows up big time in some places. In ODIs, Kohli is a run-scoring machine with over 15,000 runs to his name. That’s more than 8,000 runs ahead of Azam’s current tally. He has played 317 matches and 305 innings for those 15,109 runs, boasting an average of 58.78. Babar, in his 148 matches and 145 innings, has 6,744 runs at an average of 52.27. No joke, Kohli’s ODI record is just built different.
In Test matches, Kohli also holds a commanding lead, playing more than 100 matches in his career. With 123 matches and 210 innings, he’s piled up 9,230 runs, averaging 46.85. Azam has played 66 matches and 122 innings, scoring 4,771 runs with an average of 42.98. But here’s where it gets spicy: in T20 Internationals, Azam actually surpassed the Indian superstar! Despite starting his career six years later, Babar has 4,596 runs in 145 matches and 136 innings, while Kohli, in 125 matches and 117 innings, has 4,188 runs. Who saw that coming?
Century Counts and Test Match Bragging Rights
When it comes to hitting those triple-digit scores, Kohli is simply in another stratosphere. He’s only second to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar in international centuries across all three formats, and he’s currently just 14 short of Tendulkar’s mind-boggling 100 international centuries. In Tests, Kohli has a massive 30 centuries to Azam’s 9. In ODIs, it’s an even wider gap, with Kohli smashing 55 centuries compared to Azam’s 20. But again, Babar finds a way to stand out. He actually has more T20I centuries than Virat, with 3 to Kohli’s single T20I ton. Overall, Babar can boast 32 international hundreds to his name, which is still incredibly impressive, but Kohli’s total is just on another level. And let’s talk about Test double centuries, because this is where Kohli really flexes: he’s scored seven double centuries in Test matches, which is the most by any Indian batter. Babar Azam? He’s still chasing his first.
So, who’s the GOAT? The numbers tell a story of two incredible, yet very different, careers. Kohli has built an empire of runs and centuries, particularly in ODIs where his 15,109 runs are a beastly 8,000+ more than Azam. Even with his retirement from two formats, his Test double centuries and overall hundreds paint a picture of undisputed dominance. But don’t sleep on Babar Azam, who is showing he’s here to stay by surpassing Kohli in T20I runs and still playing all three formats. This isn’t a simple “who’s better” contest; it’s a look at two legends writing their own chapters, and we are lucky enough to witness it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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