The former Australia captain compared Babar’s recent dip in performance to Virat Kohli.
Renowned Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting has advised Pakistan batsman Babar Azam to take a leaf out of Virat Kohli’s book in order to regain form. Babar has struggled with his performances of late, leading to him being left out of the squad after the first Test against England.
The former Pakistan captain has not scored a half-century in the last 18 Test matches and will also face challenges with his batting during the 2024 T20 World Cup. point. Ponting commented on Babar’s recent struggles, stressing the importance of Pakistan finding a way to reintegrate him into the Test squad.
“The biggest challenge is how to get Babar back. They have to find a way to get Babar back in shape and get back to their form. [Test] team. You know, when you look at (Babar’s) numbers, it’s kind of like what we were talking about with Virat [Kohli] Earlier,” Ponting said during the ICC review.
The former Australia captain compared Babar’s recent dip in performance to Virat Kohli. He highlighted how the India star took a break from the game and focused on improving his mentality.
“Sometimes – and I think Virat has said this – he has a little bit of a break and he takes a break from the game to refresh and sort out some of the things that he needs to sort out,” he added.
In further discussions, Ponting suggested that Babar should consider taking a similar approach, take a break, recharge and come back refreshed.
“This might be just what Babar needs. Maybe Babar needs to step away for a while and stop trying so hard. Lock up the kit for a while, think about other things, and then hopefully come back recharged, because we know that in At his best, he’s as good as anyone around him and hopefully we’ll see that again in the second half of his career.
Babar Azam is determined to make a strong comeback in the upcoming second ODI against Australia on Friday, November 8, at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide. Pakistan are also aiming to regain momentum after losing by a narrow margin of two wickets in the first ODI.
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