New Delhi: Pakistan great Younis Khan has advised Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam to learn from Team India star Virat Kohli amid his rough patch across formats in international cricket. Babar has been struggling with his form for Pakistan and has failed to notch up a big knock in recent times. He had a woeful outing with the bat in Pakistan’s recently concluded Test series against Bangladesh at home.
After his flop show in the ODI World Cup last year and the T20 World Cup 2024 earlier this year, Babar was expected to turn a corner in the Test series against Bangladesh. However, he failed to do so as his poor form continued in the whites. He managed only 64 runs in four innings against the visitors as Pakistan suffered their first-ever Test series defeat against Bangladesh.
Speaking about Babar’s poor form, Younis urged the Pakistan white-ball captain to focus on his fitness and work ethic. While he insisted the burden of expectations is heavy on Babar, Younus advised the star batter to use his performances to answer his critics.
“There are high expectations from Babar. Players should use social media wisely, but their real answers should come through their performances with the bat and ball. He (Babar) needs to focus on his fitness and work ethic because opportunities like these don’t come around often,” Younis said at a press event in Pakistan.
Learn from Virat Kohli: Younis tells Babar
Younis cited the example of Kohli, urging Babar to learn from the former India captain. The Pakistan great pointed out how Kohli has excelled across all formats after leaving captaincy. Kohli stepped down as India’s Test captain in 2022 following the South Africa tour after he was removed as the ODI skipper of the team.
“He has achieved a lot at such a young age, but what he needs to know what he wants to achieve in the future. Captaincy is a small thing, performance is what matters. Look at Virat Kohli. He chose to step down from captaincy on his own terms, and now he’s breaking records worldwide. This shows that playing for the country should be the priority. If there’s any energy left, then play for yourself,” added the former Pakistan batter.
Kohli has been enjoying a purple patch with the willow since leaving captaincy and has regained his mojo. He broke the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record during the 2023 ODI World Cup last year and became the first batter in the world to reach 50 centuries in ODIs. Kohli currently has a staggering 80 centuries to his name across formats and has the most tons to his name in international cricket among active batters.
Amid Babar Azam’s ongoing struggles, a Pakistan legend has urged him to learn from Team India star Virat Kohli. Babar is currently battling a rough patch for Pakistan across formats. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
