IND vs PAK: 'Babar Azam is not even close to Virat Kohli' - Nayan Mongia shows Pakistan captain his real place

Former Indian cricketer Nayan Mongia made a massive claim on Pakistan skipper Babar Azam ahead of the India vs Pakistan game in the T20 World Cup 2024. He said that people compare Pakistan batter to Virat Kohli but he isn’t even close to the former India skipper.

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is rated as one of the best batters in his country. The right-hander batter has been sensational for his team but of late has struggled to get going. He hasn’t been to make a mark with bat as well as the leader of the team.

Babar Azam is currently captaining the Pakistan team in the T20 World Cup 2024 and it hasn’t been the kind of start he would’ve wanted. The Pakistan skipper looked torrid with the bat against the United States of America as he failed to score freely.

If this was not enough, Babar Azam then as the captain of the team suffered a disappointing loss against the United States of America. Pakistan lost in the super over and the captain was criticised a lot for his poor leadership, which saw the team losing in the super over.

Nayan Mongia claimed that Babar Azam’s batting has gone down in the last few years and that is putting him under a lot of pressure. He claimed that the Pakistan skipper is failing to thrive under pressure and is nowhere close to Virat Kohli. Speaking to Star Sports, he explained:

"His batting has been stumbling for the last few years. He is looking out of form. He is putting too much pressure on himself, that he has to stay there and make a big score for the team. If he takes pressure like this and the team doesn't support him in batting and fielding, mental pressure definitely comes on every batter,"

"Pressure has been put on him that he is the best batter and has to stay there and score big. You compare him with Virat Kohli and he is not even close to Virat Kohli. So the pressure is on Babar Azam and the Pakistan team that till he fires, everything is fine, but if he gets out, Pakistan's batting collapse.”

I don't have much expectations from Pakistan's batting - Nayan Mongia ahead of IND vs PAK clash

While talking about the India vs Pakistan clash, Nayan Mongia claimed that the Babar Azam-led side doesn’t have the skillset with the bat to be successful on the New York pitch. He also urged India batters to play with more caution against the Pakistan pacers. He added:

"Fast bowlers have taken wickets here and spinners have taken wickets in the West Indies. So the fast bowlers will be on top here. You will need skills as a batter here. If you compare Pakistan and India, the Indian batters have more skill. I always believe that Pakistan's skill set is very low for such wickets

"So I don't have much expectations from Pakistan's batting. India's batting has good skill sets and they can build a good innings and post a good score. However, they will have to play a little cautiously on this wicket. You cannot hit sixes and fours here continuously. You will also need sound defense here.”

India and Pakistan will be taking on each other on 9th June at the Nassau International Cricket Stadium in New York. The Rohit Sharma-led side will be entering the clash on the back of a win against Ireland while Pakistan will be under pressure after the loss against the USA.