Since Babar Azam became the number one ranked ODI Batsman in the world, comparison between him and Virat Kohli has flooded social media.

Not only fans, but even former cricketers have weighed in with their retorts.

The comparison between the two batting greats is natural as it was Kohli who was dethroned by Babar in the ODI rankings. Plus, Babar and Kohli are the only two batsmen in the world who are ranked in the top 10 (actually top 6) in each format, which clearly makes them the best in the world at present.

However, there is a big difference between the two.

Kohli has been playing international cricket for 13 years! While Babar has been around for only 6 years. Kohli has played 435 international matches across formats. Babar has not even played 200.

While comparison may be natural, it is not entirely fair given the different era that they started their careers in, and the different stage of their careers they are in now.

But who are we to stop this comparison.

Where Babar ranks higher than Kohli in ODIs and T20Is, Kohli ranks higher in Tests.

Kohli is the only batsman in the world who averages over 50 in each format. Babar was there once, but currently he is not.

If you compare Kohli's performance during the first third of his career, i.e. after the same number of innings as Babar has played currently in each format, you will note that Babar's numbers are superior.

In terms of runs, Kohli is ahead in Tests; however Babar has a significant lead in the limited overs formats. In terms of average, I would say that Babar is ahead given the stark difference in their ODI average.

Overall, Babar's numbers are better considering he has scored 7,915 international runs in 184 innings, compared to Kohli's 7,332.

One can't ignore the fact that when Kohli started his career with India, he was in the company of very good batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Yuvraj Singh. Even presently, he has the likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane.

Meaning that there was a lot less pressure on Kohli; whereas Babar has had to many a time single handedly carry Pakistan's batting.

All what the above comparison shows us is that Babar has been far better than Kohli during the initial part of their careers. Kohli from hereon, improved with every season, and went on the become the absolute best batsman in the world across formats; and still is.

Babar has laid down a tremendous platform to sky rocket. He too has improved with every season and currently his batting is at a level that none of us have witnessed before.

The momentum is with him with his best years well ahead of him. If Babar can keep improving, or even continue in the same vein, he will do well to level with Kohli, if not go past him.

That Pakistan are not good at chasing is something we have heard and witnessed for as long as Pakistan has been playing international cricket.

Despite that fact, in the 6 completed limited over matches on their current tour of South Africa, Pakistan have completed 3 successful run chases and have once come to within 17 runs of a mammoth target of 342.

Moreover, the 3 successful run chases have included their third highest ever chase against South Africa in ODIs, and two of their highest chases ever in T20Is - both within a period of 4 days.

In the first T20Is against the Proteas, Pakistan chased down 189 with a delivery to spare, on the back of a fighting unbeaten knock of 74 off 50 deliveries by Mohammad Rizwan.

That 189 was the highest total ever chased by Pakistan in a T20I.

Till last night, when Pakistan made chasing 204 look like a cakewalk.

Rizwan was instrumental in this chase as well with another unbeaten knock of 73 off 47 deliveries.

But the man of the hour was Babar Azam.

Newly crowned as the number one ranked batsman in ODIs, Babar celebrated that achievement by playing one of the best innings ever played in a T20 international.

Babar made the chase look so easy that Pakistan reached their target with a full two overs to spare!

I have never witnessed such a masterclass of an innings in a T20I. Not by a Pakistan batsman, not by any batsman.

It was truly majestic.

Babar's 122 came off only 59 deliveries and included 15 boundaries and 4 sixes.

From the get go, he was in charge of the chase, hitting boundaries in every over, running with supreme urgency with Rizwan, finding gaps with precision, turning good deliveries into run scoring opportunities, and clearing the boundary with such finesse.

The best part about Babar's innings was that not once did he seemed rushed, not once did he try to slog, not once did it seem it was about power hitting. It was completely flawless classical batting with text book shots.

He did it with such ease that it left everyone from his teammates to the opposition and all the viewers completely awestruck.

I have already gone back and viewed his innings another 4 times since the match ended and I have no doubt in my mind that I have witnessed the best T20I knock ever in the history of the game.

Babar also broke a number of records with his majestic innings, including:

1. His 122 is now the highest individual score by a Pakistan batsman in T20Is, overtaking Ahmed Shehzad's 111* against Bangladesh in 2014.

2. 122 is also the highest ever score by a captain in a T20I chase, and the 4th highest ever by a captain in a T20I.

3. It is also the second highest ever score by a batsman while chasing in T20Is. Babar was unfortunate to miss out on the record 125 scored by Evin Lewis against India in 2017.

4. Babar reached his maiden T20I century off 49 deliveries, the fastest 100 ever by a Pakistan batsman in T20Is. And in all limited overs cricket, there is only one Pakistan batsman who has scored a century off fewer deliveries - Shahid Afridi - one off 37 deliveries and another off 45.

5. His opening partnership of 197 with Rizwan is now the highest partnership ever in T20Is by Pakistan, going past the unbeaten 143 put on by Shehzad and Hafeez against Zimbabwe in 2013.

6. It is also the highest ever partnership in a chase in T20Is, eclipsing the unbeaten partnership of 171 between Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill against Pakistan in 2016.

7. The 197 run partnership is also the highest while chasing in all T20 cricket.

8. It is also the 4th highest ever partnership for any wicket in T20Is, and the highest ever in a match involving two of the top 8 ranked teams.

9. Babar smashed 15 boundaries in his innings, which is the most number of boundaries hit by any batsman in a T20I chase.

10. It is also the second highest number of boundaries in a T20I innings by any batsman, just 1 behind the 16 hit by Aaron Finch against Zimbabwe.

On top of all these records, it was also Pakistan's highest ever successful chase in T20Is.

Babar was truly marvelous. The innings was a rare gem, and if you missed it you must watch the highlights. On repeat. Multiple times.

With every season, Babar has grown in stature. He is the best batsman in Pakistan, we all knew. Now, he has claim to the tag of being the best batsman in the world too!

Having made his debut for Pakistan in 2015-16, Mohammad Rizwan did not become a permanent feature in Pakistan's starting line ups till the end of 2019, when Sarfraz Ahmed fell out of favor with the selectors and team management.

Rizwan has not looked back since he became Pakistan's number one choice for wicket-keeper; and while he has been great behind the stumps, it is his achievements in front of them that have impressed everyone.

Last night, opening the innings for Pakistan against South Africa in the first T20I of the 4 match series, Rizwan was assertive in an unbeaten knock of 74 that guided Pakistan home in the final over of the innings.

Rizwan's was the perfect innings that was required for a successful chase of a daunting target of 189.

Rizwan's last 5 innings in T20 internationals read: 89, 104*, 51, 42, 74*.

All but one of those innings have been match winning ones.

While his career T20I average is a decent 36.5, it his numbers since becoming a permanent feature of the team that are truly remarkable.

In 17 T20Is since November 2019, Rizwan has scored 449 runs at an average of 56.1 and a strike rate of 132.4. 

He has also shone in Test Matches for Pakistan during this period with 741 runs in 12 Tests at an average of 46.3.

Since he became Pakistan's permanent wicket-keeper in Tests and T20Is in November 2019, he has been the top performing wicket-keeper with the bat in the world.

Rizwan is also the only wicket-keeper who has scored a T20I hundred during this period.

With the way he is currently playing, he will surely surpass Buttler's tally during this 4 match T20 series against South Africa.

Babar Azam's 13th ODI century led Pakistan to victory over South Africa in the first ODI of the series. Pakistan won the match off the final delivery; however Babar and Imam had set up the chase perfectly and it would have been a much easier win had it not been for some middle order panic.

Babar, the world's number two ranked ODI batsman, has grown in stature with every season. He smashed his 13th ODI ton in only his 76th innings, faster to the mark than any other batsman in the world.

In the past 2 years, since the start of 2019, Babar is among the leading run scorers in ODIs. The most remarkable feature of this is his average of 67 in this period, which is significantly higher than all the other leading run scorers during this time.

He sits well above the rest.

Babar's career average is also not bad.

He is averaging a shade below 57 in ODIs, which is the second highest ODI batting average in the history of the game, behind only Virat Kohli's 59. 

It is still early days, but the best part about Babar's ODI form is that captaincy has done it no harm whatsoever.

He has a long road ahead of him, as a batsman and as a captain, but for now, he sits right up there among captains with the best batting averages in ODIs.

Another great aspect about Babar's ODI form is that it is prevalent against all opposition and in all kinds of conditions.

He scores against all nations and he scores in all countries he tours.

His averages against and in these nations do all the talking.

There is plenty of cricket ahead for Babar Azam. He is still at the start of his career and if he can go on producing the way he has over the past 5 years, he will no doubt become the best batsman ever to play for Pakistan, if not the world.

He can end this series against South Africa as the number one ranked ODI batsman. He has tough competition there with the current best batsman in the world - Virat Kohli - but he is right up there with him.