'Follow Kohli's Footsteps' - Ex-Pakistan Player's Advice To Babar 

image-lo57zgvdBabar and Kohli [X.Com]

Pakistan's disappointing campaign at the ICC World Cup 2023 has emboldened suggestions for skipper Babar Azam to quit the leadership mantle. The latest to join the bandwagon of former cricketers is Basit Ali, who also believes the time is ripe for the modern-day stalwart to consider calling it a day at the helm of captaincy.

Basit reckons Babar should "follow Virat Kohli's footsteps" by giving away the extra load on his shoulders and concentrate on elevating his status from a prolific asset at No.3 to a proper middle-order great with the bat in hand. 

Kohli famously quit India's T20I and Test match captaincy before being controversially removed from ODI leadership at the beginning of last year. At the time, the cricketer felt aggrieved by the decision-makers sitting in the BCCI apex council. But it proved to be a blessing in disguise as he has since managed to revive his best game and is currently one of the top-run getters in World Cup 2023.

Basit believes the dip Babar is currently enduring could be averted if he relinquished the captaincy post and allowed his command as a batter to come to the fore. The elegant right-hander currently has 157 runs at an average just shy of 32 from his five innings in what has been a high-scoring tournament. 

Babar Should Follow Kohli's Footsteps - Basit Ali 

Basit had earlier also raised doubts over Babar's ability to handle the dual responsibility, which created a massive uproar over social media as the former cricket faced allegations of grinding a personal axe with the contemporary skipper. 

"I told one year ago on my channel that Babar Azam is a very good batter. He should quit captaincy, just like Virat Kohli did. Virat stepped down and looked at his performances. His performance will become better, for sure," Basit told ARY News.

"But, as we all know, certain people on social media twisted my words, saying I don't like Babar Azam and I am a traitor," he added. 

On his part, Babar had brushed aside talks on his captaincy at the press conference following his team's painstaking loss versus Afghanistan. It was Pakistan's third straight loss of the league stage after an impressive pair of victories against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. The Asian giants are currently placed fifth and take on South Africa next in Chennai on Friday (October 27).