"Babar Azam should take the leaf out of Virat Kohli’s book" - Intikhab Alam's advice to Pakistan skipper
Former Pakistan cricketer Intikhab Alam suggested that Babar Azam should quit captaincy following the national side's poor show so far in the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
Pakistan has suffered defeats in their last two games in the quadrennial event, including the recent 62-run loss against Australia in a run-fest in Bengaluru.
In his column for The Indian Express, the 81-year-old Intikhab Alam adviced Babar Azam to relinquish captaincy duties by taking a cue from senior Indian batter Virat Kohli. He wrote:
"Babar Azam should take the leaf out of Virat Kohli’s book and must quit captaincy so that he can enjoy his batting and can become one of the greatest batsmen of all time."
"There is a lot of pressure on Babar Azam from the outside as well as from the inside," he added. "I personally feel he should quit captaincy. He lacks that character. As a captain, one should be bubbly and calling the shots in the ground. He doesn’t talk much. I hardly see him talking to the bowlers."
Babar Azam has also struggled as a batter, scoring just 83 runs in four innings at 20.75. His only significant contribution has been the half-century that he scored against India in Ahmedabad.
"It has turned his fortunes around" - Intikhab Alam on Virat Kohli quitting captaincy
Virat Kohli captained the Indian team in 68 Tests, 95 ODIs, and 50 T20 Internationals from 2015 to 2022. By January 2022, he quit the leadership roles across all formats.
Kohli endured a barren run with his willow for almost three years, where he couldn't manage to register a single three-figure score.
Explaining how stepping down from captaincy helped Virat Kohli find his mojo, Alam mentioned:
"Look at Kohli, he left India’s captaincy, and it has turned his fortunes around. The other day, I saw his batting against Bangladesh. He is smiling; he looks happy. He is enjoying his cricket. What can I talk about his batting, he looked so assured. It looked like the entire script was in his mind and he was executing it to perfection."
He added:
"I feel that leaving captaincy has done wonders to him. I can see Kohli playing till the next ODI World Cup as well. Why not? He is fit, he has got the hunger to score runs and I think the bad phase is behind him. Those three years were tough for all those who have loved Virat’s batting but it is in the past now."
Pakistan will play their next World Cup fixture against Afghanistan on Monday, October 23, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.