Babar Azam finally got the moment he had been waiting for as the Pakistan star scored a brilliant century in Rawalpindi on Friday. This was his 20th ODI hundred, the first since 2023. The 31-year-old looked relieved and happy at reaching the milestone, almost the same way Virat Kohli had reacted when he ended his own century drought back in 2022. There were some striking similarities between the two great batters. Kohli had gone 83 innings without a century before he scored one against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup T20 in Dubai. Babar also had the same number, 83 innings, without a hundred before his knock on Friday. His last ODI century had come against Nepal in the 2023 Asia Cup. A Celebration Straight Out of Kohli's Book Babar reached his hundred in the 48th over, putting Pakistan in a strong position for a clear win. The moment he reached the landmark, Babar took off his helmet, raised his arms a bit, looked up at the sky, and kissed the locket. The crowd in Rawalpindi cheered loud for their star player. It was almost a similar celebration as Virat Kohli's when the latter broke his long wait for a century in Dubai in 2022. Several fans online were quick to notice the similarity and compared both moments. Watch the video here: This chapri Zim-Babar also copied Virat Kohli’s celebration 😭😭 https://t.co/F84jAaRpCm pic.twitter.com/ifOBl5SQ5s — Rainbow Salt (@Rainbowsalt91) November 15, 2025 Watch at 0.12Babar Azam now copied Virat Kohli's 71st century celebration too man. This clown has got nothing of his own, his whole career went copying Virat😭😭From trying to speak like Virat, kissing locket, looking at heaven, now copied this too😭pic.twitter.com/kp32KCOHKb — Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) November 14, 2025 Also Read | Why Siraj’s Shoe Had a Hole: The Real Reason Explained This century of Babar marked his thirtieth-second in international cricket, whereas 20 were scored in ODIs and nine in Tests with the last three being in T20s. Babar now has a total of 32 hundreds and 104 fifties in all formats of the game, highlighting his consistency over the years. This knock came at an important time for Pakistan as it not only helped the team win the series but also brought back confidence for their main batter. All fans and experts were waiting for Babar to return to his best, and Friday's hundred could mark the start of a strong comeback. And, with comparisons to Kohli once more trending through social media, this moment will remain special for Babar and his fans. It was more than just a century, an affirmation that truly great players are never really gone; they always bounce back, no matter how long the wait.