Adil Rashid Favors Babar Azam’s Cover Drive Over Virat Kohli’s

England’s leg-spinner, Adil Rashid, has expressed his preference for Babar Azam’s cover drive over that of Virat Kohli, the celebrated Indian cricketer. Rashid shared his views on the ‘Beard Before Wicket’ podcast, a platform known for engaging cricket discussions.

Podcast Discussion

During the podcast, Rashid and his fellow England teammate, Moeen Ali, were presented with the popular query: Whose cover drive is more pleasing to the eye—Babar’s or Kohli’s?

Moeen deferred to Rashid, recognizing his extensive experience bowling to both batsmen internationally. After a moment’s consideration, Rashid stated, “I think Babar’s cover drive,” but then acknowledged, “but otherwise, Kohli’s straight drive and his whip are something else.”

Humorous Exchange

Before Rashid gave his verdict, Moeen jokingly suggested Rashid was biased towards Babar, to which Rashid clarified that his admiration was specifically for the cover drive.

Moeen eventually shared his own perspective, siding with Kohli’s cover drive.

Rashid’s Prior Endorsement

Notably, this wasn’t the first instance of Rashid favoring Babar. In a 2020 interview with At the Crease TV, he had also chosen Babar over Kohli as the superior batsman, pointing to the Pakistani player’s form at the time.

“It is a tough one that. So if you go on current form, I think I got to go with Azam… I picked Azam because he is in better form but they both are world-class players anyway,” Rashid commented then.

Babar Azam’s Recent Performance

Babar, who captained Pakistan in the last three ICC Men’s T20 World Cups (2021, 2022, and 2024), last played a T20I in December 2023. He subsequently missed the home series against New Zealand in March and the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, which commenced on May 28 in Lahore. As of now, he remains excluded from forthcoming major T20I tours.

The right-handed batsman has faced scrutiny regarding his recent T20I form, with his latest half-century being a 75-run innings against Ireland in May 2023.

He has participated in 128 T20Is for Pakistan, accumulating 4,223 runs at an average of 39.83, including three centuries and 36 half-centuries.