Former Indian opening batter Virender Sehwag has offered crucial advice to star Pakistani batter Babar Azam, who is struggling with form these days. 30-year-old Babar, who left Pakistan’s Test captaincy last year, was dropped from the Test team for the last two red-ball matches of the ongoing three-match series against England on October 13. The decision to drop Babar came as a shock for fans and experts of the game, but Pakistan managed to win the match in his absence.
After Pakistan ended a three-year long wait for a Test win in front of home fans last week thanks to Kamran Ghulam’s maiden century, chances of Babar making a comeback in the Test side took a big hit. Ghulam was included as Babar’s replacement, and in his first match itself, the 29-year-old scored the century to justify the selection.
Amid news of uncertainty over Babar’s place in the Test team, Sehwag has expressed confidence in Babar’s ability to bounce back and said that his struggles are more mental than technical.
Speaking on Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channel, Sehwag said that he wants Babar to focus on the basics and return to domestic cricket in addition to working hard on his fitness.
“Babar Azam should play domestic cricket now. He should work on his fitness; he should spend some time with family, then come back to international cricket as a physically fitter and mentally stronger player.”
“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,” Sehwag added.
Babar, who hasn’t scored a fifty-plus score for Pakistan in his last 18 Test innings, is expected to be picked for the upcoming white-ball tour of Australia. Pakistan will face the Australian men’s cricket team in a three-match ODI series that starts on November 4 in Melbourne, and then the two sides will face each other in a three-match T20I series.
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