Asia Cup 2025: Can Babar Azam break his century drought and script comeback like Virat Kohli?

With the Asian Cricket Council confirming the schedule for the Asia Cup 2025, slated for September 9 to 28 in the UAE. The marquee India-Pakistan face-off on September 14 is one of the most awaited matches of the year. Given the format, both sides could potentially meet up to three times during the tournament. For Pakistan, the event carries added weight, as it could be a turning point for their batting icon, Babar Azam.

Babar Azam’s Struggles in Recent Times

Once seen as one of the most reliable run-scorers in international cricket, Babar is presently experiencing a prolonged run of low scores. It has been 28 innings and 711 days since he made an international hundred, an innings made in August 2023 against Nepal. As the Asia Cup arrives, questions worsen if Babar can end this run of low scores and deliver a performance reminiscent of Virat Kohli's resurgence.

In his last 71 innings in all formats, Babar has scored 18 fifties but has not scored a triple-figure score. His highest score during this streak is just 81, and there have been five ODI ducks, one of his recorded three balls against the West Indies. Analysts have different opinions ranging from technical flaws, the pressure of being Pakistan's former captain, batting role changes, and a potential mental burn-out and fatigue from endless cricket.

See Also: Jasprit Bumrah set to play Asia Cup 2025: Report

Kohli’s Famous Return to Form

Virat Kohli also endured a notable dip between November 2019 and September 2022, going 71 innings without a century, though he continued to score fifties. During that time, many wondered whether his prime had passed. However, he silenced doubters at the 2022 Asia Cup with a scintillating unbeaten 122 off 61 balls against Afghanistan his maiden T20I hundred.

That knock re-energized his career and began a grand stretch of batting which included passing Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI centuries at the 2023 World Cup. Kohli went on to become the first batter to score 51 ODI hundreds, showing that sometimes, that one big innings can lead to a series of great performances.

Parallels Between Babar and Kohli’s Slumps

Babar's current predicament mirrors Kohli's issues pre-2022: a number of starts without big runs, the pressures of the public, and continuous comparisons to the performances from a previous time. They both had to live through more than 70 innings without a century, while being highly scrutinzed.

Kohli's resurgence, though, was more than an innings - it was the beginning of sustained excellence in all formats of the game. For Babar to have a similar outcome he needs to use the Asia Cup as a springboard and continue to score runs consistently. One point of difference is strike rate: even in his lean patch, Kohli maintained an ODI strike rate above 90, while Babar has sometimes been criticised for slowing down in the middle overs.

Keys to a Babar Azam Comeback

Interestingly, Kohli’s turnaround began in this very tournament, and Babar’s last international hundred also came during an Asia Cup edition. Playing in the UAE, where he has extensive experience, could give him a mental edge.

With India and Pakistan potentially facing off multiple times, Babar will have the perfect stage to deliver a defining knock. A match-winning century against India might have an immediate impact on his form just like Kohli's innings against Afghanistan did. But to truly achieve a Kohli-esque revitalization, Babar must strive for sustained consistency and convert returned confidence into a long period of unparalleled excellence across all formats. Pakistan's hopes of raising the trophy may depend on whether their star batter finds his magic.