Former India’s World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has shown his backing for Pakistan captain Babar Azam amid the criticism surrounding his leadership qualities following his team’s elimination from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
During a YouTube, podcast, Kapil stood up for Azam, highlighting that it would be unjust to assess him solely on his current performance.
He emphasized Babar Azam’s past accomplishments, underscoring that a mere six months earlier, Azam had successfully guided the Pakistan team to the number one position in the ICC ODI rankings.
Kapil Dev talking about Babar Azam pic.twitter.com/EDWReOJcuv
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Kapil Dev said, “If you say that Babar Azam is not the right choice [for captaincy] today, it is because you are looking at just his current performance. He was the same captain, who made Pakistan team No.1 [in ICC ODI rankings] six months ago.”
He added, “When someone gets out for zero, 99 percent of the people would want him to be dropped. So don’t look at just current performance. Look at how he has approached the game, how much passion and talent he has.”
It must be noted that Babar Azam achieved a total of 320 runs during the World Cup, securing four half-centuries with an impressive average of 40. Currently, he maintains his position as the second-highest-ranked batsman globally.
Babar Azam faced increased pressure as Pakistan, unable to reach the semi-finals, suffered defeats in five out of nine games, with a notable loss against India.
This marked India’s eighth consecutive victory over Pakistan in World Cup games. Additionally, Pakistan experienced a historic first-time loss to Afghanistan.
