• Source:JND
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Former India batter Gautam Gambhir has rated Pakistan captain Babar Azam as the player to watch out for in the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 in India.

While praising Babar, the two-time World Cup winner said that the star batter has the ability to play the right shots at the right time which sets him apart from the rest.

He also added that Babar at the moment is above the likes of India captain Rohit Sharma, modern run-machine Virat Kohli, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, and England stalwart Joe Root.

 

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“Babar Azam can set this World Cup on fire. I have seen a lot of players with so much time to bat. I think that Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and Joe Root are there, but Babar Azam has a different level of capability,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.

Gambhir has backed Babar despite his poor run of scores in the last few matches as he scored 17 (22), 10 (24), and 29 (35) against Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka, respectively, in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2023.

The right-handed batter, though, smashed 151 off 131 against Nepal in the opening match of the continental tournament.

Talking about this year, Babar has scored 745 runs in 15 innings at an average of 49.67, including two tons and six half-centuries so far. Overall, he has 5409 runs to his name in 108 ODIs at an average of 58.16, including 19 centuries and 28 half-centuries.

Babar will be leading the Men in Green at the ODI World Cup in India as they aim to improve the flaws of the Asia Cup 2023, having failed to make it to the final of the tournament.

Pakistan will be missing the service of the star pacer Naseem Shah who has been ruled out of the tournament due to shoulder injury.

Babar Azam and Co. will begin their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign against the Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday, October 6.

 

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They will face the arch-rivals India at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14.

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir