Former Indian cricketer and World Cup hero Gautam Gambhir showered praise on Pakistan captain Babar Azam for his consistent batting performances across formats.
It has to be noted that Babar Azam is currently the only batter who is among the top 5 of ICC Rankings across formats. The Pakistan captain also started the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 campaign on a blockbuster note by smashing a stunning knock of 151 runs against Nepal.
However, Gautam Gambhir feels that Babar’s real test will be against the Indian pace trio Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj.
Gautam Gambhir Hailed Babar Azam
Ahead of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 clash between India and Pakistan, Gautam Gambhir expressed his thoughts on Babar Azam. He defended him by saying that the Pakistan superstar batter doesn’t need to give any message to anyone as he has already proved himself with 19 centuries in 104 ODIs. He said:
“Babar Azam doesn’t need to give any message or he doesnt need to prove himself to anyone. He has already given a message in the 104 matches he has played. If you can score 19 centuries in 104 matches, I believe he will be in the top two or three players in all formats. So he doesn’t need to give a message.”
Further, Gautam Gambhir suggested that the Indian cricket team will be playing with their three premier pacers — Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj after a long time and they will pose a threat to Babar in the upcoming clash. He said:
“However, it will be a good contest. He will be tested against the Indian fast bowling. You will get to see an Indian attack after a long time, where all three bowlers (Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj) can test Babar Azam properly,”
He added:
“Babar Azam’s real testing will not happen against Nepal, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh, it will be against India. Such players also want to test themselves against this kind of bowling,”
India vs. Pakistan Playing XI:
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
