After engaging in a series of heart-pounding encounters with Pakistan over the past few years, Afghanistan has at last clinched a victory against their Asian rivals. In the 22nd match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Afghanistan triumphed with an eight-wicket win. According to Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian batsman, Babar Azam’s cautious batting approach is causing added stress for his fellow teammates.
Gautam Gambhir has expressed concerns about the pressure placed on his teammates due to Babar Azam’s less aggressive batting style. The scrutiny on Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, has intensified as his team teeters on the brink of elimination from the semi-final contention following a surprising loss to Afghanistan in Chennai. Although Babar Azam was the top scorer against Afghanistan, his 74 runs off 92 balls, at a strike rate of just 80, has raised questions. Afghanistan comfortably achieved their target of 283 runs with 8 wickets to spare.
Gautam Gambhir believes that Babar and his team are feeling the heat, and he’s not particularly pleased with Babar’s recent showings. “Babar Azam is under pressure, the entire team is under pressure. Babar has to deliver, because he has the reputation, he has class, he has ability. I picked Babar Azam in the top 5, I backed him to score 3-4 centuries on the pitches in India. Babar has the ability to do it even now,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.
In his last five appearances, Babar has managed to accumulate 157 runs, maintaining an average of 31 with a rather conservative strike rate of just 79. While he’s shown promise with two half-centuries, he’s yet to push through to a century. Gautam Gambhir suggests that Babar should consider not just scoring big but doing so with a higher strike rate. Gambhir believes that this change is essential because Babar’s low strike rate can place added pressure on his batting partners and the upcoming batsmen. Drawing from his experience as a 2011 World Cup winner, Gambhir advises Babar to adopt a more liberating and aggressive approach in the middle overs.
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“He has to score runs and make his team win because if he scored 50 off 60 or 70 balls or scored 80 off 120 balls, there is no use. The way he played against India, it gave me an impression that he put more pressure on the rest of the batting unit and he did not release the pressure.
“If you want the team to play aggressive cricket, you have to lead from the front. Babar has to play freely, he has to play out-of-the-box cricket, and even out-of-the-box captaincy if Pakistan is to make the semi-final,” Gambhir further added.
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