Former Indian batter Virender Sehwag advised Babar Azam to improve his fitness and play domestic cricket to regain international form. Sehwag’s comments come after Babar has been struggling to convert his starts into a big knock, especially in the longest format.
The first Test of the ongoing Pakistan-England series witnessed Babar returning with knocks of 30 & 5. As a result, he was dropped from the XI for the second Test, which eventually saw Pakistan level the series 1-1. His replacement, Kamran Ghulam scored a century on his maiden red-ball appearance, and has now cemented his place for the final Test as well. Interestingly, this was also Pakistan’s first win in a home Test since 2021.
Babar Azam has now gone 18 consecutive innings without registering a Test fifty. The last time he crossed the 50-run mark was in December 2022 during his 161-run knock against New Zealand. The fans have lashed out at Babar for his bad form and deemed his ouster from the XI as a right step towards the team’s well-being.
Recently, Sehwag appeared on Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channel and advised Babar by saying:
“Babar Azam should play domestic cricket now. He should work on his fitness, spend some time with family, then come back to international cricket as a physically fitter and mentally stronger player.”
“With expectations from Babar decreasing and his resignation from captaincy, it seems he has been more impacted mentally than in terms of technique. He needs to stay mentally strong. He’s a talented player, and players like him tend to bounce back quickly,” he added.
What is Babar Azam’s captaincy record in Tests?
Babar Azam’s first assignment as a Pakistan Test skipper came against South Africa in January 2021. He started out his tenure with a 2-0 whitewash but faced tough challenges in the coming years.
Although Pakistan secured series victories against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, they faced losses on their home soil against Australia and England. Interestingly, the Ben Stokes-led side completed a 3-0 series whitewash on their last tour.
Although, the Babar Azam-led side drew the series against New Zealand and clinched a clean sweep over Sri Lanka, Babar Azam was removed from captaincy across all formats. The move was also influenced by Pakistan’s failure to reach the semi-final stage of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Overall, Babar holds a record of 10-6 in 20 Test matches as a captain.
In November 2023, Shan Masood was appointed as the skipper of the Pakistan side in the Test format. After losing his first six Tests, Masood finally secured his first victory as a captain in the second Test against England last week. It will be interesting to see if hosts can continue their momentum and win the series.
