Virat Kohli or Babar Azam - Who will rise the highest in Asia Cup? Complete Stats Guide

With the Asia Cup on the horizon, India and Pakistan will be hoping to resurrect their status in the 50-over format of the game. After missing out in the Final of the 20-over Asia Cup last year, Pakistan will be hoping to bounce back this year with an improved outing.

As they prepare to take on Nepal on August 30 in the opening match of the Asia Cup, the laurels are stacked high on their talismanic captain Babar Azam. The Pakistani batter has been a phenomenon for his country and will be pivotal in the upcoming Asia Cup.

As the prolific Pakistan batter prepares for the challenge, he has received a major positive push from former Australian captain Tom Moody. Ahead of the Asia Cup, Moody spoke to Star Sports and gave his thoughts on Azam as a batter and as Pakistan captain.

And the former Australia player reckons Babar Azam's batting is the closest to Indian star Virat Kohli.

"He does remind me very much of Virat Kohli, the way he goes about his business. He plays authentic cricket shots. He seems to understand, read the game very well, which Kohli has done for over a decade. He is a good chaser as well like Virat Kohli has proven to be over many many years," Moody said in Star Sports show 'Game Plan'.

The Australian also believes the proximity of the two batters in terms of skill set is too close to distinguish and reckons it will be a delight to watch the batters showcase their talent in high-stakes situations.

"So, there's so much likeness between the two and I wouldn't go as far as saying that Virat is gonna have a better Asia Cup than Babar Azam, but they both can have equal pressure on them and it's gonna be a delight to watch them both bat because they are box office," Moody added.

For India, Virat Kohli's performance will be crucial as the batter has been a stalwart for them over the years. With a fresh Kohli available in this tournament, the Men in Blue will be hoping for high returns from their elite wizard.

But when it comes to crunch times, Virat Kohli and Babar Azam do have a lot of pressure on them, but who has fared better in these instances? A closer look at their batting stats over the years in Asia Cup will give us a clear picture of this.

Virat Kohli Record in Asia Cup

Virat Kohli has amassed 613 runs in 11 Asia Cup matches. The Indian batter has batted at an average of 61.3 and has three centuries in the continental tournament. His career best of 183 also came in Asia Cup back in 2012 against Pakistan.

But when it comes to tournament finals (any), Kohli's average takes a nosedive. The batter has scored 154 runs in any ODI tournament finals in 8 innings, at a paltry average of just 22.

Babar Azam Record in Asia Cup

Babar Azam has played only a solitary edition of the Asia Cup back in 2018. In that tournament, the Pakistan captain scored 156 runs in five innings, with his solitary 50+ score coming against Afghanistan. The Pakistan batter has an average of 31.2 in the Asia Cup and would dearly love to improve that in this edition.

In terms of tournament finals, Babar's solitary match was in the Champions League 2017 Final against India, where he scored 46 runs.

Virat Kohli and Babar Azam - Who will score more in Asia Cup 2023?

With the forms and the history by our side, the components suggest it is too close to call at the moment. Babar Azam and Virat Kohli both have been prolific over the years and they would be keen to conjure a decent outing for their respective teams.

But keeping that mind, we still believe Virat Kohli will rack up more runs in the Asia Cup this year.