World Cup 2023: Babar Azam will have to change his personality, game and mindset, says Gautam Gambhir

Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has urged Pakistan skipper Babar Azam to change his personality, game, and most importantly his mindset in the ongoing World Cup. Gambhir wants Azam to bat a bit more aggressively and take the attack against the opposition.

The Pakistan captain scored 50 runs from 58 balls in the big clash against arch-rivals India at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, which was his first ODI fifty against India. Pakistan was skittled out for 191 runs and went on to suffer an ignominous loss of seven wickets.

Babar Azam has an overall ODI strike rate of 88.86 but he is striking at 84 in 2023. Gambhir reckons Pakistan’s top three batters bat in a similar fashion and they need to take the bull by its horns to get the desired results.

The 2011 World Cup winner also highlighted that personal milestones should be put on the backburner as a team’s success is more crucial.

Speaking to Sportskeeda, Gambhir said, “I feel Babar will have to change his personality, his game and, importantly, his mindset. Pakistan have had a history of attacking batters – Shahid Afridi, Imran Nazir, Saeed Anwar, Aamer Sohail. In the present top three, everyone bats in similar mode. If someone has to take responsibility, it has to be their captain, who bats at No. 3.”

“There is no point looking at stats. You may become Pakistan’s leading run-getter, but legacy is created by winning tournaments, not individual records. Wasim Akram took three wickets in the 1992 World Cup final. He did not pick up a five-fer, but everybody talks about it because they won the World Cup. Nobody talks about Mahela Jayawardene’s hundred in the 2011 final. Everyone remembers that India won the match.”

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma scored an aggressive knock of 63-ball 86 against Pakistan. Gambhir said there was a contrasting difference between the approaches of the two captains and it turned out to be a major difference.

“The team plays how the captain plays. Both Babar Azam and Rohit Sharma scored fifties,” he explained. “One scored a 50, other scored an 80. None of them scored a hundred, but it was the approach that was the difference. If Pakistan were chasing 190, their mindset would have been just to win the game, whether they get there in 35 or 40 overs.”

“It is important for the captain to take responsibility. If the captain is defensive, the team will be defensive. You can’t tell the 10 other players in the room that, ‘you play positive, I will play [anchor] from one end’,” the former cricketer concluded.

Pakistan will next take on Australia at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Friday.