Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag has offered some advice to Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam, suggesting him to play domestic cricket in order to rediscover his top form.
Babar has been under tight scrutiny due to his below-par performances recently. He crashed out of the top ten list in the ICC Test Batting Rankings last month after a forgettable home Test series against Bangladesh, where he managed a meagre 64 runs in four innings.
Meanwhile, in the first Test against England, he scored 35 runs in two innings after which he was dropped from the squad for the remainder of the series.
In Babar’s absence, the Shan Masood-led team defeated England by 152 runs to level the three-match series and claim their first Test victory at home since February 2021.
Virender Sehwag, during an appearance on former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channel, opened up on Babar Azam’s recent struggles and advised him to regain his form by playing domestic cricket.
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“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,” said Sehwag.
The former Indian all-rounder expressed the view that Babar’s mental state has been influenced by the expectations of fans and his role as captain, which in turn has had an impact on his individual performance.
“With expectations from Babar decreasing and his resignation from captaincy, it seems he has been more impacted mentally than in terms of technique,” he added.
Sehwag also conveyed his belief in Babar’s exceptional talent and expressed optimism that Babar would be able to make a strong comeback as long as he remains mentally resilient.
“He needs to stay mentally strong. He’s a talented player, and players like him tend to bounce back quickly,” he concluded.
READ: Babar Azam’s father addresses fans amid his son’s recent struggles
