T20 World Cup 2021: 3 Indian bowlers who can stop Babar Azam
Babar Azam is one of the modern-day greats when it comes to batting. T20 World Cup 2021 Pakistan squad skipper's record has been incredible across all formats of the game, irrespective of wherever he plays.
Given that Azam has been at the center of Pakistan's recent success in international cricket, the team will certainly look up to their captain to play an important role in their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign as well.
Speaking of numbers, Babar Azam has notched up 2204 runs in the 61 T20 internationals he has played for Pakistan. He averages a stunning 46.89 and has an excellent strike rate of 130.64. What makes the 27-year-old more dangerous is his ability to convert starts to big scores. To put it into context, Babar Azam has scored 20 half-centuries and one century in 61 games - that's one 50+ score in every three games!
Given his batting exploits, every team that faces Pakistan will be desperate to get Babar Azam's wicket early in the innings.
With India and Pakistan opening their T20 World Cup campaign with a high-voltage clash against each other on October 24th, the Indian bowlers will have the monumental task of getting the prized wicket of Azam early.
On that note, we take a look at three bowlers who can stop the star Pakistan batsman.
#1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Perhaps one of India's best bets against Babar Azam would be swing king Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Since Azam is a typical subcontinent batsman, facing out-swinging deliveries isn't his strongest batting point.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who holds the ability to swing the ball both ways, could create problems for the Pakistani star at the crease. Indian captain Virat Kohli will certainly be aware of this, and the match-up between the two players will be worth witnessing when the two Asian cricketing giants go head-to-head on October 24th.
#2 Jasprit Bumrah
India's very own yorker expert, Jasprit Bumrah will be another bowler who will pose a huge challenge to Babar Azam. While Bumrah has uprooted the stumps of the best batsmen in the world, Babar Azam still remains to be checked off his list.
The two players have faced off in ODI cricket in the past, where Bumrah bowled 26 deliveries to Babar. The Pakistani batsman has scored 17 runs off the Indian pace sensation without losing his wicket.
The face-off between arguably India squad for T20 World Cup current best bowler and Pakistan's best batsman will be entertaining to witness on the 24th.
#3 Varun Chakravarthy
T20 World Cup live score and commentary for all matches will be available here.
Varun Chakravathy could well prove to be India's trump card in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Having only made his India debut very recently, his strongest point is the mystery element he holds.
With India and Pakistan facing off against each other on October 24th, skipper Virat Kohli will most likely look to outfox Babar Azam by sending Chakravarthy in to bowl soon after he walks out to bat.
Chakravarhy will look to puzzle Babar with his spin, and is one of India's best bets at stopping the star Pakistani batsman from taking the game away.