Danish Kaneria believes Babar Azam nowhere close to Virat Kohli, wants comparisons to end 

Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria has urged fans not to draw comparisons between Babar Azam and Virat Kohli, suggesting that the latter is far superior.

Speaking on his YouTube channel on Monday, December 19, Kaneria stated that no player from Pakistan's current lineup deserves to be compared to star Indian batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He opined that the Pakistan players make big statements, but they aren't capable of backing them up on the field.

"People should stop comparing Babar Azam to Virat Kohli. The likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are very big players. Pakistan have nobody in their team who can be compared to them. If you make them talk, they will be a king. When you ask them to produce results, they'll be zero."

Kaneria emphasized that Babar is not capable of captaining the Pakistan team in the longer format. He added that the right-handed batter should take lessons from England's Test captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.

These critical comments come after Pakistan endured another tough day against England in the ongoing Test series. The Babar Azam-led side are on the verge of suffering a humiliating whitewash against the visiting team on home soil.

Danish Kaneria thinks that Babar could have taken tips from former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who is also a part of the squad for the Test series against England.

"Babar Azam is a big zero as captain. He doesn't deserve to lead the team. He is not capable of leading the team, especially when it comes to Test cricket. He had a good chance of learning captaincy by looking at Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum during the series. Or, he could have kept his ego aside and asked Sarfaraz Ahmed how to captain."

On Day 3 of the ongoing third and final Test of the series, in Karachi, Pakistan failed to present England with a big target for the fourth innings. Babar Azam did score a half-century and looked in good form again. However, he got out pulling a short delivery from debutante Rehan Ahmed on a personal score of 54. The star batsman was still the top-scorer in the innings.

The home team was dismissed for just 216 in their second innings, thus giving England a target of 167. England reached 112/2 at the close of play on Day 3, requiring just 55 more to record one of their most memorable wins abroad.

This loss at home for Babar Azam and his team comes after their defeat to Australia in a three-match Test series earlier this year. Losing at home to two teams from beyond the sub-continent is a big blow and could bring Babar's position as captain in jeopardy.

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"What has Mohammad Rizwan done in this series?" - Danish Kaneria wants Pakistan to drop the wicketkeeper from Test team

Danish Kaneria also pointed out that wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has performed poorly with the bat in the home Test series against England.

He suggested that Rizwan should only be considered for the team's white-ball assignment. Kaneria questioned the move to bench former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed despite the senior player's superlative performances in domestic cricket this year.

"What has Mohammad Rizwan done in this series? Yes, he is a very good T20 player and should be in the team for T20Is and ODIs. However, Test cricket is a different ball game. Sarfaraz Ahmed has been asked to warm the bench despite playing brilliantly in domestic cricket."

Notably, Rizwan has failed to make a significant impact with the bat in the ongoing Test series. The 30-year-old didn't score a single half-century in the rubber and finished with 141 runs from his six innings. He was dismissed by leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed on Day 3 for just 7.