‘Very ordinary captaincy’ – Gautam Gambhir attacks Babar Azam’s leadership after the defeat against Sri Lanka
Cricket Fantasy: ‘Very ordinary captaincy’ – Gautam Gambhir attacks Babar Azam’s leadership after the defeat against Sri Lanka. Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has expressed his criticism of Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s leadership during the Asia Cup 2023 following Pakistan’s consecutive defeats in the tournament.
Pakistan’s campaign in the 2023 Asia Cup came to a disappointing end after they suffered a defeat to Sri Lanka in a rain-affected Super Four stage match on September 14. The Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lankan side secured a narrow two-wicket victory using the DLS method, which earned them a place in the final against India.
Gambhir remarked, “In my opinion, effective captaincy revolves around making sound and simple decisions. During Zaman Khan’s over, a boundary was conceded over mid-off, and a similar boundary was scored off Shaheen Shah Afridi’s over, and it’s worth noting that both those deliveries were slower ones,” as he shared with Star Sports.
The former Indian cricketer believes that Babar Azam, the Pakistan captain, made a crucial error in his field placements during a must-win game. He also emphasized that the 28-year-old skipper should recognize the importance of not aggressively seeking wickets during the final overs.
Gambhir pointed out, “If you plan to deliver a slower ball, it’s a straightforward aspect of captaincy to place the mid-off fielder at long-off and move the third man fielder up. Imagine a scenario where you needed 13 runs in the last over; it would have been a challenging task for Sri Lanka,” the 41-year-old elaborated.
Gambhir raised substantial concerns about Babar Azam’s management of the game when Kusal Mendis and Sadira Samarawickrama were forming a crucial 100-run partnership. He stressed that Babar should have adapted more effectively to his role as captain, as the dynamics of ODI cricket are distinct from T20 cricket.
“At one point, it seemed like you were letting the game drift without intervention. It appeared as though you were more concerned about utilizing your sixth bowler’s quota, which isn’t the right approach. When the partnership between Kusal Mendis and Sadira Samarawickrama was flourishing, you should have called upon your primary bowlers to strive for wickets.”
“Pakistan’s sole path to victory in this match was through taking wickets. If Sri Lanka had batted through to the end, they might have already secured the win. I believe Babar Azam needs to refine his captaincy skills because ODI cricket requires a different approach compared to T20 cricket,” he concluded.
