Former India opener Virender Sehwag did not beat around the bush when former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar asked him to give an advice to a struggling Babar Azam who has been dropped from the Test team. Sehwag feels that Babar's struggle is more mental than his technique and wants him to play domestic cricket.
"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,” said Sehwag on Shoaib Akhtar’s Youtube Channel.
Sehwag believes that relinquishing captaincy in limited overs had an impact on Babar as well. He backed the out-of-form batter to bounce back.
"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.
Babar has not scored a half-century in Tests in last nine games. His poor form in red-ball was one of the main reasons why Pakistan struggled in the format and lagged behind in the race for their maiden World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final.
Babar’s replacement shines on debut
Along with Babar, pacers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were dropped as well. On a spin-friendly wicket in Multan prepared on the recommendation of Aqib Javed, Shan Masood-led side beat England to end their long-running drought of Test win at home and level the series 1-1. Replacing Babar in the side, prolific run-scorer in domestic cricket, Kamran Ghulam scored a century.
No Babar on Australia tour
Meanwhile, assistant coach of Pakistan team, Azhar Mahmood said that the trio has been rested and not dropped. He said that Babar will return to the side for overseas tours.
However, there is a question mark over whether Babar will retain his side in the ODI and T20I squad as well. He was lacklustre in the ODI World Cup 2023 and T20 World Cup 2024 as Pakistan made early exits in both competitions. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is yet to announce the squads for the Australia tour.
