PAK vs AUS: Gautam Gambhir Brutally Exposes Babar Azam's King Stature In World Cricket

As under-fire Babar Azam looks to get Pakistan’s campaign in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 back on track, he has received some words of advice from India great Gautam Gambhir.

Pakistan’s winning start in the World Cup came to an end last week with a humiliating defeat against arch-rivals India. Babar Azam scored a fifty but it was not enough for his side to post a good total. The Men in Green suffered an inexplicable collapse to be bowled out for 191 from 155 for 2. In reply, Team India chased down the total inside 31 overs by losing just 3 wickets.

Pakistan will be desperate to bounce back to get their campaign on track as they look to make it to the semifinal for the first time since 2011. They will be in action next on Friday (October 20) when they lock horns against five-time world champions Australia at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Gautam Gambhir’s advice for Babar Azam:

Ahead of Pakistan’s crucial match against Australia, Gautam Gambhir has highlighted the importance of contributing to the team’s cause in big games instead of playing for milestones. The two-time World Cup winner stated that players create a legacy by winning tournaments and not by achieving individual records.

“There is no point looking at stats. You may become Pakistan’s leading run-getter, but a legacy is created by winning tournaments, not individual records. Wasim Akram took three wickets in the 1992 World Cup final. He did not pick up a five-fer, but everybody talks about it because they won the World Cup. Nobody talks about Mahela Jayawardene’s hundred in the 2011 final. Everyone remembers that India won the match,” Gautam Gambhir told Sportskeeda.

Speaking further, Gautam Gambhir stated that Babar Azam needs to lead his team from the front by playing attacking cricket. He pointed out how Rohit Sharma‘s attacking fifty against Pakistan made a difference for his side and advised Babar Azam to play in a similar manner.

“Pakistan has had a history of attacking batters: Shahid Afridi, Imran Nazir, Saeed Anwar, and Aamer Sohail. In the present top three, everyone bats in a similar mode. If someone has to take responsibility, it has to be their captain, who bats at No. 3,” Gambhir said.

“The team plays how the captain plays. Both Babar Azam and Rohit Sharma scored fifties. One scored a 50, the other scored an 80 (86 from 63 balls). None of them scored a hundred, but it was the approach that made the difference. If Pakistan were chasing 190, their mindset would have been just to win the game, whether they get there in 35 or 40 overs.”

“It is important for the captain to take responsibility. If the captain is defensive, the team will be defensive. You can’t tell the 10 other players in the room that, ‘you play positive, I will play (anchor) from one end’,” he added.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam finally managed to regain his form with a much-needed half-century against India. In the first two games of the World Cup, he was out for 5 and 10, and would be hoping that the latest fifty is just the beginning of a productive campaign with the bat.