Few modern cricketers have redefined excellence quite like Virat Kohli. Through relentless fitness standards, insatiable hunger for runs and an unmistakable on-field aura, Kohli hasn’t merely broken records. He has redefined them.
After nearly two decades in international cricket, he is no longer chasing benchmarks; he is the benchmark. Comparisons, therefore, are inevitable.
In Pakistan, those comparisons surface almost by reflex. Every time a young batter rises through the ranks with a flourish, the inevitable question follows: Is he the next Kohli? The most compelling example remains Babar Azam.
Since his debut in 2015, Babar has been amongst the top run-scorers for Pakistan, at one point becoming the only player in the world to average above 50 across all three formats. The numbers strengthened that narrative.
Yet, careers are rarely linear. Babar’s form has dipped in recent years, and he has found himself navigating scrutiny and fluctuation. That is where Kohli’s career offers contrast.
He, too, has endured lean patches and relentless criticism, but even at 37, he continues to score runs, answering doubters with performances just when the chorus grows the loudest.
With over 28,000 runs across international matches across formats, highlights Kohli’s remarkable tenacity and sheer willpower.
That, perhaps, is where many of Pakistan’s ‘next Kohli’ hopefuls have stumbled. A purple patch lasting three or four years can ignite excitement, but sustained dominance – punctuated by match-winning knocks under pressure – is a rare trait.
Consistency, discipline and the ability to evolve separate the very good from the generational.
Beyond Babar, several Pakistani batters have been draped in Kohli comparisons. Some have faded from the spotlight; others continue to search for the rhythm and resilience that define Kohli’s legacy. The tag is flattering – but living up to it is an entirely different challenge.
AHMED SHEHZAD: BRIGHT START, CHAOTIC FINISH
Ahmed Shehzad burst onto the scene as one of Pakistan’s most promising young batters. After impressing in domestic cricket, he broke into the national side in 2009 at just 17.
Over the next decade, he developed a reputation as an attacking opener capable of dominating bowling attacks and became the first Pakistani to score a century in all three formats.
In fact, Shehzad became Pakistan’s first-ever T20I centurion when he reached the milestone during the 2014 T20 World Cup match against Bangladesh. With 10 international centuries to his name, he demonstrated that he had the talent and potential to achieve great success in his career.
At his peak, Shehzad’s technique, aggression and early success drew comparisons with Kohli, as both emerged around the same time with similarly combative styles. In 2008, when Kohli captained India to the Under-19 World Cup title, Shehzad represented Pakistan at the same level.
He later acknowledged that these comparisons created significant pressure and that he did not receive the same backing from management and senior players that Kohli enjoyed. A career average of 31.41 across 153 games showed that Shehzad may have possessed Kohli’s talent, but not the same level of consistency that defines Kohli’s career.
Despite early flashes of brilliance, inconsistency at the highest level hampered his progress. Dropped after the 2011 World Cup, he returned to the side but never secured a long-term place. Form issues and off-field controversies further dented his standing, and he played his last international match in 2019.
In 2018, Shehzad was suspended for four months by the Pakistan Cricket Board after testing positive for a prohibited substance during the Pakistan Cup. A year later, he was fined 50 per cent of his match fee in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for a ball-tampering offence.
Although he featured in five PSL seasons, his opportunities declined after 2021 as new talent emerged. The struggle peaked in February 2026 when the 34-year-old, once again unsold at the PSL auction, broke down on live television, speaking emotionally about his nine-year-old son’s wish to see him play.
It was a poignant reminder of how quickly a promising career can change under the weight of expectation and comparison.
UMAR AKMAL: METEORIC RISE, SHARP DECLINE
Another prominent name is Umar Akmal, who emerged in the late 2000s as one of Pakistan’s most exciting young batting prospects. He made an immediate impression on his Test debut in 2009, scoring a century against New Zealand, and soon established himself in Pakistan’s limited-overs sides.
The 94-run knock off 54 balls against Australia in the 2014 T20 World Cup, which secured a 16-run victory for Pakistan, is a prime example of why Akmal was once regarded as the next big thing in Pakistan cricket. With fluent stroke-play, the ability to accelerate and a confident, aggressive approach, Akmal was also compared to Kohli.
Despite his early promise, Akmal’s career never reached the heights many had predicted. Inconsistency became a defining feature of his performances, while off-field indiscipline and controversy repeatedly derailed his progress. Does a career average of 31.65 measure up to Kohli? There are serious doubts.
In 2017, he was sent home on the eve of the Champions Trophy after failing a fitness test. Matters escalated in 2020 when the PCB provisionally suspended him under its Anti-Corruption Code for failing to disclose approaches related to spot-fixing.
By March 2020, Akmal was formally charged with two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code. The following month, a PCB disciplinary panel handed him a three-year ban from all forms of cricket – a severe setback that effectively brought his professional career to a standstill.
On appeal, the suspension was reduced to 18 months, but by then the damage to his reputation had already been significant.
His troubles extended beyond corruption charges. Akmal faced reprimands for alleged misconduct with fitness staff and reportedly clashed with authorities at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. He last played competitive cricket in January 2024.
Although he registered for the PSL 2026 auction, he was left out of the final shortlist. Ultimately, his inability to consistently meet professional standards hastened his decline, leaving a career remembered as much for unfulfilled potential as for flashes of genuine brilliance.
ABDULLAH SHAFIQUE: TALENT UNDENIABLE, TEMPERAMENT UNDER TEST
Abdullah Shafique is one name that warrants mention. Unlike Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad, he remains very much in contention, and his career has been largely free of controversy.
When Shafique broke into Pakistan cricket, his elegant technique and run-scoring ability drew early comparisons with Virat Kohli.
Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood even remarked at one stage that Shafique’s returns after 19 Tests were statistically better than Kohli’s at the same point – though such comparisons naturally came with caveats. After 19 Tests, Shafique had amassed 1372 runs, compared to Kohli, who had 1178 runs to his name.
Shafique’s career, however, has been marked by distinct highs and lows. In Test cricket, his highest score of 201 – a commanding innings in Colombo in 2023 – helped Pakistan hammer Sri Lanka and underlined his long-format pedigree.
In ODIs, he has a century to his name, but an average below 30 highlights a lack of the relentless consistency that defines Kohli. T20Is have proved even more challenging: Shafique holds the unwanted record for the most successive ducks (four) in the format by a batter from a full-member nation.
The struggles became more pronounced in 2024, when he became the first opener in ODI history to register a duck in all three matches of a bilateral series during Pakistan’s tour of South Africa.
That sequence contributed to seven ducks in 21 innings across the calendar year – the most by a Pakistani batter in 2024, going past Imran Nazir. Such lean patches raised questions about his temperament, adaptability and ability to transition smoothly across formats.
As a result, his career so far has been a mixed bag. At 26, though, Shafique remains part of Pakistan’s Test and ODI plans and continues with Lahore Qalandars in the PSL, aiming to transform early promise into sustained excellence.
BEING VIRAT KOHLI IS NOT EASY
Apart from Shehzad, Akmal, and Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel was also compared to Virat Kohli. Kamran Akmal once remarked that Shakeel had the talent to reach Kohli’s level. However, while Shakeel has impressed in Tests, Kohli has consistently demonstrated his class across formats for nearly two decades.
A common thread runs through Shehzad and Akmal – both showed immense promise at the start of their careers, suggesting they could reach Kohli’s heights. This naturally sparked discussions about whether they could become greats and be mentioned in the same breath as him.
But as their careers progressed, they faced hurdles and criticism and struggled to bounce back. Kohli, too, experienced setbacks, yet he responded with grit and resilience, silencing critics with consistent performances.
Babar Azam also began his career strongly. However, during a prolonged lean patch, he struggled to regain rhythm. Although he scored an ODI century against Sri Lanka last year, he has not yet looked like the Babar who was once seen as the next best after the modern-day ‘Fab Four’ alongside Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root.
Starting like Kohli is one thing; sustaining a career like his requires discipline, sacrifice, and immense mental strength – qualities that separate legends from the rest.
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