Pakistan's former captain Babar Azam has been subjected to immense criticism after another flop show against arch-rivals India in the recent T20 World Cup match in Colombo. Babar, who has been associated with the Pakistani side for a long time, is often called out for his lack of match-winning performances against better bowling attacks despite being the highest run-getter in T20Is.
His inability to step up when the team needs him the most is also called out often.
In a chase of 176, Pakistan, who had lost three wickets in the first two overs, needed someone like Babar to consolidate the innings alongside Usman Khan, who was getting a boundary almost every over. However, Babar unleashed an uncharacteristic slog against Axar Patel as he ended his innings on 5.
The difference between Kohli and Babar
Before long, fans on social media started reminiscing about India’s memorable victory over Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup held in Melbourne, where a remarkable innings by Virat Kohli helped India recover from =a precarious position of 31/4 to achieve a thrilling four-wicket win on the last ball while chasing a target of 160 runs.
While Babar has frequently been likened to Kohli, former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik believes such comparisons are unjust to the latter.
“For a long time now, there has been a comparison which I find unfair, but let me use that now. Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. I cannot imagine Virat Kohli playing that shot that early in the innings. That is submission," Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
“It is not having belief in what it takes to win or how to take your team closer to victory. That wild slog from Babar Azam showed he wanted to keep up with the run rate, and that is not what he does normally," he added.
Abhishek Best T20 Batter Currently: Karthik
“That absorption of pressure is what makes greatness. Every game cannot be easy, where you just come and play a few shots. When I look at Babar Azam, I feel that conviction and belief weren’t there. He’s nowhere close to being the best in the world, I think Abhishek Sharma is the best in the world currently," Karthik said.
There are reports that Pakistan team management is considering dropping bigwigs such as Babar and left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi following the defeat to India.
“Late night the management think tank decided enough was enough and it was to bench Babar and Shaheen and try out Salman Mirza/Naseem Shah and Fakhar Zaman against Namibia on Wednesday," news agency PTI quoted a source as saying.