Sehwag Advises Babar Azam to ‘Focus on Domestic Cricket’ to Overcome Slump
Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag has offered valuable advice to Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam, urging him to return to domestic cricket to regain his form and enhance his mental resilience.
Speaking on Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channel, Sehwag expressed confidence in Babar’s ability to navigate his current slump, attributing his struggles more to psychological challenges than technical flaws.
Babar has faced intense scrutiny following a poor run of form in Test cricket, failing to score a fifty in his last 18 innings. His performances during the recent Test series against England were particularly disappointing, with scores of 30 and 5 in the first match. In light of this, the newly formed selection panel decided to drop him for the second and third Tests to rejuvenate the team’s performance.
Sehwag, renowned for his aggressive batting and cricketing insights, recommended that Babar take a break from international cricket to focus on the basics.
“Babar Azam should play domestic cricket now. He should work on his fitness, spend some time with family, and then come back to international cricket as a physically fitter and mentally stronger player,” Sehwag advised. He emphasized that Babar’s recent issues appear to stem more from mental fatigue than technical deficiencies.
The former Indian opener highlighted the importance of mental strength during challenging times in a player’s career, noting that Babar’s resignation from captaincy and the mounting expectations may have taken a psychological toll. “With expectations from Babar decreasing and his resignation from captaincy, it seems he has been more impacted mentally than in terms of technique. He needs to stay mentally strong. He’s a talented player, and players like him tend to bounce back quickly,” Sehwag stated.
Babar’s recent Test form has indeed been concerning. In addition to his struggles against England, he managed just 64 runs at an average of 16 during Pakistan’s 2-Test series against Bangladesh, which Pakistan shockingly lost at home. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made the tough decision to rest him, believing that a break from international cricket will help Babar reset both mentally and physically.
However, Babar will have a crucial opportunity to regain his form in the upcoming white-ball series against Australia, scheduled for November. This series, which includes three ODIs and three T20 Internationals, will allow Babar to shift his focus to limited-overs cricket, where he has historically been more consistent.
Fans and the PCB alike are hopeful for a resurgence in his performances as Pakistan prepares for the challenges ahead
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