Former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes Babar Azam will be Pakistan’s greatest batter of all time when he retires from the game and believes that Babar’s credentials as a batter, can never be questioned. The 29-year-old stepped down from captaincy after the conclusion of the ODI World Cup 2023.
Following Pakistan’s disappointing 2023 World Cup campaign, Babar Azam resigned as captain from all formats of the game. The Men In Green did not advance to the semi-finals, and Babar had a mixed performance with the bat in the marquee event, accumulating 320 runs in nine innings with four fifties.
In an interview with Sportskeeda, Gautam Gambhir believes that it is the individual’s choice to accept captaincy and that everyone will get to see the best of him in International Cricket from now on. He also stated that captains are usually blamed for the team’s failure and predicts that he will retire as the greatest Pakistan batter of all time.
“It’s an individual choice of players to leave or accept captaincy. Babar Azam is still a top-quality batter for me. We might get to see the best of Babar Azam now. In Pakistan, all the blame as well as the appreciation only goes to the captain. It happens to an extent in India as well, but not to the level that it happens in Pakistan.”
“There were never question marks over Babar Azam’s batting. The question marks were over his captaincy. Now that he has left it, you will see Babar reaching a different level as a batter. Even today, he is one of Pakistan’s top batters. When Babar Azam ends his career, he will be Pakistan’s greatest batter. He is still young and can play for another 10 years as a batter. He himself might not know what he can achieve,” Gautam Gambhir said.
Babar Azam has been an outstanding performer for Pakistan in all formats. The right-handed batsman is the backbone of Pakistan’s frail batting lineup, which is heavily reliant on his consistency in all three formats. His consistency on all platforms is unrivalled, and he would like to regain his form in international cricket.
I Feel Making A Fast Bowler A Captain Is Risky – Gautam Gambhir
Speaking about Pakistan’s newly appointed captain, Gautam Gambhir believes it is an internal affair for Pakistan Cricket. However, he feels that Shaheen Afridi’s appointment as a T20 captain comes with a risk aspect, since they may have certain limits in dealing with injuries and workload management.
“We should not get into the debate over who Pakistan appoints as captain. It is their internal matter. They feel Shaheen Afridi can be a good captain. I feel making a fast bowler a captain is risky. I am not saying fast bowlers can’t be good captains, but they have their limitations,” Gautam Gambhir added.
Fast bowler Shaheen Afridi has been an impressive captain of the Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Under his guidance, Lahore has won back-to-back championships. He would be eager to perform and lead the team well in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
