Sachin Tendulkar vs Babar Azam - Comparing the stats of the two after 123 ODIs

Sachin Tendulkar and Babar Azam are two players who cracked the formula of ODI cricket, almost to the point of making it feel like it was their most favored format. Their ability to rotate strike, build an innings, and change gears have helped them pile on runs, and maintain consistency.

The numbers of Sachin Tendulkar and Babar Azam, at least for the first 123 ODI matches, are a complete mismatch from one other, primarily, because of how the circumstances differed for them in their careers. Another factor to note is that it took Babar almost a decade since his debut to reach 123 ODI matches, during the time when he evolved a lot as a batter.

Sachin, on the other hand, raced to 123 appearances in quick time, and it was just the beginning of his growth as a batter in the format, having found his favored position not so long ago.

On that note, let us compare the ODI numbers of Sachin Tendulkar and Babar Azam after 123 ODI appearances.

Who has more runs after 123 ODI matches?

Sachin Tendulkar had endured a rather lean start to his ODI career, and it was not until his 70th ODI appearance that he began to open the innings. By the time he reached 123 ODIs, he was the newly appointed captain of the side, and had scored 4341 runs at an average of 40.57 and a strike rate of 82.42.

His 123rd appearance came during the bilateral series against Pakistan in Toronto in 1996. He scored an unbeaten run-a-ball 89 as India coasted to victory.

In comparison, Babar Azam had a strong start to his ODI career, scoring five fifties in his first 10 appearances. His consistency led to him becoming one of the fastest batters to reach the 2000, 3000, and 4000 ODI run-mark in history. He became the fastest player to reach 5000 ODI runs, and is on the precipice of repeating the feat for the 6000-run mark as well.

After reaching 123 ODIs following the away series against South Africa, the former Pakistan skipper has 5957 runs at an average of 56.73 and a strike rate of 88.23.

Who has more hundreds after 123 ODI matches?

Sachin Tendulkar ended his career with 49 ODI hundreds, the second-most in history. However, those three-figure knocks did not come in a linear fashion by any means. His maiden ODI hundred came in 1994, almost five years after his debut.

By the time he had 123 appearances to his name, the opening batter had recorded nine hundreds.

Babar Azam, on the other hand, needed only 16 innings to record his first hundred as part of his meteoric rise. His maiden hundred was first of the three consecutive ones he hit to stamp his authority at the No. 3 position.

As of now, after 123 ODI appearances, Babar Azam has 19 hundreds to his name. His last hundred came during the 2023 Asia Cup against Nepal in Multan.

Who has the better overseas record after 123 ODI matches?

Out of his first 123 ODIs, and the 4341 runs that came with it, 2579 were recorded away from home. Those runs were scored at an average of 39.08, and a strike rate of 80.72. This included some blistering knocks at the Sharjah Cricket Ground, a venue where he has played some of his best cricket.

On the other hand, Babar Azam has scored a staggering 4486 runs away from home in 96 innings, at an average of 52.78. This is primarily because there was not much international cricket in Pakistan during Babar Azam's formative years in the circuit.

While he made his debut on home soil, his next appearance came four years later. However, he had a stellar record in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where Pakistan played their home games for a long time. Apart from the subcontinent, he boasts exceptional numbers in Australia, England and South Africa, some of the toughest places for a visiting batter.

If his record in the UAE is excluded, then Babar has 3390 runs in 79 innings, which is an equally staggering record.

His overseas exploits also includes the 2019 ODI World Cup in England, where he finished as the leading run-getter for Pakistan with 474 runs in eight innings at an average of 67.71.