'Babar Azam should change...': Gautam Gambhir offers advice to Pakistan captain before World Cup clash vs AUS
Gautam Gambhir gave Wasim Akram a special mention while talking about Pakistan skipper Babar Azam amid the ODI World Cup.
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir feels Babar Azam should take more responsibility as leader of Pakistan in the ongoing edition of the ICC World Cup. A top-four finish at the One Day International (ODI) World Cup in India was a small goal for superstar Babar, who masterminded Pakistan's historic win over the Men In Blue in ICC World T20 2021. After Pakistan pulled off a record-breaking run chase against Sri Lanka in the ODI World Cup, Babar and Co. arrived in Ahmedabad for the showdown clash against India with their tails up.
However, Pakistan suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of India as Rohit Sharma and Co. romped past the 1992 world champions at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday. Babar slammed his first half-century against India in the 50-over format on matchday 12 of the ICC World Cup. Top-scoring for Pakistan, Babar scored 50 off 58 balls before the Green Army suffered a jaw-dropping batting collapse.
Talking about Pakistan's top-ranked ODI batter, former India opener Gambhir opined that Babar should change his personality, his game and more importantly - his mindset. "Pakistan have had a history of attacking batters - Shahid Afridi, Imran Nazir, Saeed Anwar, and Aamer Sohail. In the present top three, everyone bats in similar mode. If someone has to take responsibility, it has to be their captain, who bats at No. 3," Gambhir told Sportskeeda.
'You may become Pakistan’s leading run-getter but legacy is created by…'
Following Babar's dismissal at a score of 155-3, Pakistan eventually folded for 191 in 42.5 overs against India. Babar and Co. were completely outplayed by India as Rohit's men hammered the Green Army by seven wickets to extend their winning run to three matches at the 2023 World Cup. Pakistan have never defeated India at the 50-over World Cup. When Pakistan won its first and only title in 1992, the Green Army lost to India at Sydney.
Giving legendary Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram an honourable mention, Gambhir observed that legacy is created by winning major tournaments. “There is no point looking at stats. You may become Pakistan’s leading run-getter, but 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,” Gambhir added.
