Pakistan’s campaign in the Champions Trophy 2025 has come to an end. After their disappointing defeat against New Zealand in the opening encounter of the tournament, Pakistan faced a crushing defeat against India at the Dubai International Stadium to mark an end to their title reign in the Champions Trophy.
A central figure in Pakistan’s dreadful reign in the tournament was the slow and lethargic pace with which Babar Azam scored runs throughout the competition. Seeing his struggles with form in the recent past, Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar has come up with some valuable advice for the Pakistani batter.
Sunil Gavaskar’s advice to Babar Azam
Babar has not been spared from criticism despite his mixed performances, including a solid 64-run knock against New Zealand. While his innings against the Mitch Santner-led side was deemed too slow, Babar also faced backlash for failing to capitalize on a promising start against India just four days later. His inability to build on early momentum has sparked debate, with critics highlighting his tendency to fall short when in good positions. Despite his undeniable talent, these inconsistencies have left many questioning his form in key matches.
“If you ask me, I will tell Babar just one thing. Right now, his stance is quite spread out. If he can reduce the width between his feet, then two things will happen: One, when your feet are spread out, then you face difficulty going on back foot and front foot but when you are more balanced, then you also gain a bit of height, while you are a bit down with feet spread out,” Gavaskar told Basit Ali in a video that was posted on the latter’s YouTube channel.
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Babar Azam’s horror-show in the recent past
Babar’s recent batting performances have been disappointing, with a string of low scores across various formats. In the 2024 ODI series against South Africa, he could only manage 52 and 23 runs, despite Pakistan’s series win. Earlier in the year, during the Test series against the West Indies, Babar registered scores of 31, 1, 8, and 5, further highlighting his inconsistency. These underwhelming displays have raised concerns about his ability to anchor the batting order. While his talent is unquestionable, Babar’s recent struggles emphasize the urgent need for him to return to his prolific form to strengthen Pakistan’s batting lineup.
