Virat Kohli's consistency is unparalleled, claims Zaheer Abbas

Pakistan batting legend Zaheer Abbas has picked Virat Kohli as his favourite batsman across all formats of the game, ahead of Australian ace Steven Smith and Pakistan's Babar Azam. Praising the Indian captain, Abbas said that there aren't many batsmen in the cricketing world who can eclipse Kohli at the top of the batting charts.

Abbas told The Telegraph that Kohli's consistency across all three formats of the game makes him an automatic choice for the top spot. In 2018, Kohli became the fastest to achieve the feat of scoring 10,000 ODI runs. In T20Is, Kohli has amassed 24 fifties, to go along with his incredible Test exploits.

Abbas said that Smith's consistency in Test cricket isn't enough to dethrone Kohli at the top, and said that even a machine malfunctions, but Virat Kohli never does.

"But yeah, Steve Smith is more consistent than Kohli in Test cricket. He scores in almost every series he plays. Even the other Australian — David Warner — has been doing well... But as I said, a batsman needs to perform in all formats and in that sense, Kohli is more consistent in the other versions as well."

"Just look at what Kohli has achieved over the years Also, he is not a machine. Even a machine sometimes malfunctions. At this moment, there aren’t many who can parallel Kohli."

Virat Kohli and Steven Smith's rivalry looks set to last for years

On Babar Azam's consistency

Abbas soon brought Pakistan's Babar Azam into the context, tagging him as a future star who has the potential to take over from Kohli and Smith at the top. However, he warned Azam against being complacent, and hoped that the Pakistan batsman will continue the good work in the coming years.

Oh Babar Azam 🙌pic.twitter.com/H4uvaGCgP2

— ICC (@ICC) November 30, 2019

At 25, Azam has played in 138 international matches, averaging over 45 in each format of the game. Often criticised for not turning up in Test matches the same way he does in the shorter formats, Azam silenced his critics in style by scoring four centuries in his last seven innings in Tests against Australia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"Babar has been the most consistent batsman for Pakistan, having performed in all formats. I just hope he keeps on scoring and scales bigger heights."

The 'Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam' debate has been the focal point of many cricketing discussions