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In the aftermath of Pakistan‘s crushing seven-wicket defeat to India in the ODI World Cup 2023 match in Ahmedabad on October 14, former India opener Gautam Gambhir didn’t hold back in expressing his disappointment with Pakistan skipper Babar Azam‘s cautious approach.
Pakistan’s world cup struggles continue
Despite high hopes, Pakistan’s World Cup losing streak against India persisted as they suffered a lopsided defeat. Asked to bat first, Pakistan’s innings concluded for a meager 191 in 42.5 overs. Initially, they were at a promising 155/2, but a sudden collapse saw them lose eight wickets for just 36 runs. Babar was the top scorer who made 50 but took 58 balls for that. In reply, Men in Blue, led by Rohit Sharma, chased down the underwhelming target with seven wickets and 19.3 overs to spare.
Gautam Gambhir criticizes Babar Azam’s timid approach
After the game, Gambhir didn’t mince words during a discussion on Star Sports, where he criticized Babar’s performance, particularly during his 82-run partnership with Mohammad Rizwan. According to Gambhir, Babar displayed an excessively timid approach. He expressed disappointment with the manner in which Babar got dismissed.
“Babar Azam has been extremely timid. Two batters cannot bat the same way in a partnership, one of them has to take chances. If you are playing for a fifty or your runs, you will get such results,” Gambhir said.
“It was an extremely bad shot. You don’t expect such a shot from a world-class batter. You had scored 50 runs and played nearly 60 balls, you knew there wasn’t much bounce and it was not the length where you could have played the late cut. You could have punched it,” the 42-year-old added.
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Lack of aggressive batters in Pakistan’s lineup
Gambhir pointed out that the current Pakistan top order doesn’t feature a single aggressive batter. He suggested that Pakistan should have adopted a more fearless approach from the outset of their innings.
“Babar Azam has scored a lot of runs for himself but it’s been Pakistan’s history that they have liked to bat aggressively at the start, whether it was Shahid Afridi, Imran Nazir or Taufeeq Umar, and they consolidate in the middle. However, here in the top three, there isn’t a single batter who can take on the opposition attack,” the Indian stalwart pointed out.
“When you play against a top-quality attack, at times you discuss in the dressing room that you will play freely even if you get out for 150, you will not play timidly. If the top three get out early, then the No. 4 and No. 5 would consolidate,” the New Delhi-born cricketer concluded.
