Learn something from Virat: Basit Ali sends bold message to Babar Azam after consecutive flop show in PSL

ANI April 15, 2025 224 views

Babar Azam's recent cricket performances have come under intense scrutiny after repeated failures in the Pakistan Super League. Former cricketer Basit Ali has publicly criticized Azam's captaincy and batting form, drawing parallels with Virat Kohli's strategic career decisions. Ali strongly recommends that Azam step down from leadership roles to regain his batting momentum and focus on individual performance. The advice comes after Azam's dismal run, including low scores and tactical challenges leading Peshawar Zalmi.

"Babar should leave captaincy and focus on his cricket." - Basit Ali, YouTube Channel
Islamabad, April 15: After Babar Azam's flop show with the bat continued in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL), former cricketer Basit Ali has urged Pakistan's premier to learn from India's stalwart Virat Kohli

Key Points

1

Babar Azam struggling with bat and captaincy in ongoing PSL season

2

Consecutive poor performances raising concerns about his form

3

Basit Ali recommends following Virat Kohli's strategic career approach

Babar, who is leading Peshawar Zalmi in PSL, has continued to labour for runs after his dry spell in international cricket. Since his 151-run blitzkrieg against Nepal in 2023, Babar is yet to score a century for Pakistan. Even his lack of form has started to affect his captaincy. With Babar at the helm, Zalmi have endured two emphatic defeats on the trot.

With Zalmi struggling as a unit, Babar's individual struggle has added to their increasing woes. During Zalmi's recent 102-run hammering at the hands of Islamabad United, Babar was a no-show in their pursuit of a mammoth 244-run target.

Basit launched a scathing tirade on Babar for his captaincy debacle in the ongoing PSL. He urged Babar to drop captaincy and focus on his game. To make his case, he even cited Virat's example, who retired from T20Is last year and has taken a step back from Royal Challengers Bengaluru captaincy in the IPL to focus on his cricket.

The 54-year-old urged Babar to learn from the Indian batting maestro and said on his YouTube channel, "Babar should leave captaincy and focus on his cricket. While chasing a 240-plus target, he gave away a catch to slip and got out. He is not focused. Zalmi management should remove him from captaincy and play him as a batter. He is harming himself. Babar is not doing anything; he just keeps playing."

"I will give the example of Virat Kohli. He retired from T20Is, and he is not even the captain of RCB. If you follow him, then learn something from him. You should play as a batter," he added.

Babar kicked off the PSL campaign with a two-ball duck against Quetta Gladiators. He was outfoxed by former Pakistan speedster Mohammad Amir, who lured him to commit to a cover drive, which went straight into the hand of Rilee Rossouw.

In their second fixture against the defending champions Islamabad, Ben Dwarshuis forced out an edge from Babar, which flew straight to Jason Holder, stationed at the first slip.

With Babar and Zalmi searching for form and winning momentum, Peshawar will square off against Multan Sultan in Rawalpindi on Saturday.

Reader Comments

A
Ahmed K.
Basit Ali makes a fair point here. Babar's been struggling for too long now. Maybe stepping down from captaincy could help him regain form like it did for Kohli. 🤔
S
Sana R.
Why always compare with Kohli? Babar has his own style and will bounce back inshaAllah! He's still our best batsman 💚
F
Faraz T.
The pressure of captaincy is clearly affecting his batting. Remember how Kohli's numbers improved after leaving captaincy? History might repeat here.
M
Maria S.
I think Basit Ali is being too harsh. Every player goes through rough patches. Babar will come back stronger! #SupportOurCaptain
R
Rizwan A.
While I respect Basit Ali's opinion, constantly comparing Pakistani players to Indian counterparts isn't helpful. Our cricket culture is different.
T
Talha N.
The real issue is our domestic cricket structure. We can't expect players to perform consistently when the system is broken. Babar is just a symptom.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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Tags:
Babar Azam PSL Cricket Virat Kohli Basit Ali Pakistan Cricket
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