Babar now rules the ODI rankings for batters and is also number one in T20Is. Meanwhile, he is ranked 8th in the Test category while Kohli, for the first time in three years, has dropped out of the top ten in this format.

Moreover, Babar is also the only batter in the cricketing world to presently rank among the top ten across the three formats.

Kohli has now seen 30 months without an international century, the longest stretch since his debut way back in 2008.

Babar, on the other hand, has scored nine international hundreds during this period. All these hundreds have come in the white-ball format.

While Babar triumphs over Kohli in the rankings at the moment, the Indian star remains far ahead in terms of overall centuries with 70 to his name during a 13-year career. However, Babar, who has a six-year international career, has 20 centuries to his name.

This story was originally published in Business Recorder on January 6, 2022.