Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag thinks it would be in the best interests of Pakistan’s star batter, Babar Azam, to return to domestic cricket and work his way to regaining both form and mental resilience.
Talking on Shoaib Akhtar‘s YouTube channel, Sehwag said that the struggles are more psychological than technical for Babar Azam. He said a break from international cricket could help Babar Azam refocus on his basics and rebuild his confidence.
Babar has come in for intense scrutiny after the worst run of form in Test cricket where he hadn’t even reached a half-century in his last 18 innings. His poor showing came to the fore during the recently ended Test series against England, where Babar could score only 30 and 5 runs in the first Test of the series.
The performance decline compelled the newly formed selection panel of the Pakistan Cricket Board to exclude Babar from the second and third Test. The PCB did this as an effort to restore the team’s performance and free Babar of mounting pressure.
Babar should play domestic cricket and thus keep fit by playing against good opposition so that he can spend quality time with his family. “Babar Azam should play domestic cricket now. He should come back to international cricket as a physically fitter and mentally stronger player,” advises Sehwag.
He said that Babar’s problems seem more like mental exhaustion instead of losing the technique. The former Indian opener feels that mental toughness at the times of testing one’s cricketing career is of more significance than trying on new ball games. “He should stay mentally strong. He is a very talented player and the players like him bounce back very quickly, says Sehwag.
Babar Azam’s recent performance anxiety has well reached new heights after a series of disappointments against Bangladesh, wherein he could just score 64 at an average of just 16. Before the white-ball series against Australia in November, Babar will have his chance to redeem himself within the white-ball formats.
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