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Former India batsman Gautam Gambhir feels that the lack of aggressive batting from Babar Azam puts pressure on his own teammates.
The Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, is under heavy scrutiny now as his side stands on the verge of being eliminated from the semi-final race after their shock loss to Afghanistan in Chennai.
Even as Babar Azam top-scored for his side against Afghanistan, he scored 74 runs in 92 balls, scoring at a strike rate of only 80. Afghanistan comfortably chased down the target of 283 runs with 8 wickets in hand.
Ahead of the PAK vs AFG match, Gautam Gambhir reckoned Babar and his side is under pressure, and he’s disappointed with Babar’s performances so far.
“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.
Babar has to play freely: Gautam Gambhir
Babar has scored 157 runs in 5 outings at an average of 31 and a strike rate of only 79. He has reached half-century twice but failed to convert them into centuries.
Gautam Gambhir opined that Babar should not only look to bat big, but bat with a higher strike rate as well. Because, he feels, his low strike rate adds on pressure of his batting partners and the next batters to come. The 2011 World Cup winner advised Babat to change his approach in the middle and with more freedom.
“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 added.
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