Virat Kohli or Babar Azam; Who had the worse decline in Test cricket

Anurag Dasgupta

Babar vs Kohli decline [Source: AFP Photo] Babar vs Kohli decline [Source: AFP Photo]

Babar Azam and Virat Kohli, two of the biggest brands of Asian cricket, but the last few years have been traumatic for both champion players. The game’s longest format - Test cricket- has taken the energy out of the two cricketers, and so much so that Kohli even retired from the format in May 2025. Meanwhile, his biggest competition, Babar, is struggling for runs.

Since the start of the decade, Kohli’s Test numbers have witnessed a sharp decline, and on the other hand, Babar’s fortunes could move the same way, as since 2023, he has yet to score a Test ton. So, the question arises, whose decline was the worst? Kohli, or Babar. In this article, we will analyse the performances of both players on the basis of their decline period.

Virat Kohli's decline form period (2020-2024)

Up until 2019, Kohli was the undisputed King across formats and was seemingly untouchable as he churned out mind-boggling stats in Test cricket. However, since the turn of the decade, his numbers have witnessed a new low, and it went so down that Kohli was indirectly forced to take a Test retirement.

Criterion
Data
Matches39
Runs2028
Average30.73
50s/100s9/3

(Kohli stats since 2020)

  • Since the start of 2020, Kohli has taken part in 39 Tests, and he has racked up only 2028 runs, with a sorry average of 30.73. His Test numbers improved due to the fact that the right-handed batter had a stellar 2023, and he scored tons of runs that year.
  • He did manage to score three centuries in that period, but two of them came on dead tracks in West Indies, and in Ahmedabad, and another one came at Perth in the second innings.
  • Interestingly, Kohli had a century drought between 2020-2022, but even in that period, he showed glimpses of his brilliance with quality fifties in Chennai, Adelaide, and on the England tour in 2021. However, the big scores didn’t come and he was denied a century.

Babar Azam's form decline period (2023-current)

King Babar, as he is being called in Pakistan, last scored a Test ton in December 2022 against New Zealand, and since then, his downfall began.

Criterion
Data
Matches14
Runs655
Average24.26
50s/100s3/0

(Babar's downfall in Tests)

  • In the last 2.5 years, Babar has played only 14 Tests, and he has racked up 655 runs, with an average of 24.26. The numbers are a stark contrast to his Test numbers till 2022, where he averaged nearly 50, and had accumulated 3645 runs since 2016.
  • Unlike Kohli, he has hardly played any memorable innings during his downfall, and has found the same ways of getting dismissed.

Similar patterns in which Babar, Kohli get dismissed

  • In their decline period, both Kohli and Babar have found the same ways to get dismissed, and it led to their downfall. Kohli had the tendency to struggle against quality spinners, and often he used to get a bit too defensive against them. Since 2020, he has averaged less than 25 against spinners, and this was one key reason for his decline in form.
  • Also, the opposition bowlers found ways to trap him in the outside the off deliveries, as Kohli had a weakness of going after widish deliveries, and often used to get the outside-edge to the slips.
  • The trend is similar with Babar. He has a timid approach against the spinners, and this was evident in the first Test vs South Africa when he scored his last 1 run off 23 deliveries, and Simon Harmer finally trapped him lbw.
  • Opposition bowlers have a clear-cut plan against Babar - they bring the ball back in and trap him lbw, and this has led to his demise most of the times in Tests.

Final verdict

In his decline period from 2020-24, Kohli averaged 30, but had played some memorable knocks that either led to an India win or a draw. He did contribute with the bat, especially with three centuries. On the other hand, the same cannot be said about Babar who averages less than 25, and is yet to play one match-winning/saving knock during his ongoing decline period.

Hence, we can conclude that Babar’s slump is worse than Kohli, and the batter needs to find a way to overcome it.