'Best Of Babar Azam Now...' - Gautam Gambhir Backs Pakistan Star Batter Ahead Of AUS Tests
Babar Azam made 320 runs over nine innings of the World Cup (Twitter)
Gautam Gambhir recalled his prediction made for Pakistan's outgoing skipper Babar Azam before the ICC World Cup 2023 in India and felt disappointed as it didn't quite materialise after the "pressure of captaincy" seemingly tamed the modern-day giant's batting wings.
The former opener understands leadership fatigue took its toll on Babar after he faced sustained flak and criticism from fans, ex Pakistani cricketers and even discarded teammates, who perhaps had an axe to grind with the man, for his team's disastrous pre-semifinal exit with him scoring 320 runs over nine innings.
Ultimately the 29-year-old decided to call it quits from all formats of the game and led Pakistan to a path of fresh captaincy heads before the Test series against Australia. Gambhir, however, deems it a blessing in disguise.
Gambhir Backs Babar Azam To Scale Heights
A huge admirer of Babar's consistency and talent, Gambhir said the weight of captaincy was proving too big on the elegant batter's shoulders and the Pakistan fans now expect his best to come for the best part of next decade as he approaches his game with a free mind.
"You'll see the best of Babar Azam now. You will see a completely different Babar Azam," Gambhir told Sportskeeda. "Before the World Cup, I picked Babar as the batter of the tournament. But the pressure of captaincy hampered his form with the bat. It’s because when you are the skipper and your team isn’t performing well, you can imagine how much pressure he was under."
Gambhir said giving up captaincy while approaching what are traditionally considered a batter's prime years at the international stage could lead to a great turnaround in Babar's fortunes for the times to come after enduring an unsatisfying World Cup campaign.
"You will see the actual Babar Azam that no one has seen. From now until the day he retires, you will see his actual ability. Babar has so much quality that he can go out and become the best batter Pakistan has ever produced. He has got 10 years with no pressure of captaincy," he added.
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 "Kashish Chadha")
