Before the start of the ICC World Cup 2023, former India opener Gautam Gambhir had made a bold claim about then-Pakistan skipper Babar Azam. Gambhir had claimed that one of the most talented batsmen in the modern era, Babar would emerge as the best batsman from the World Cup. But actually, quite the opposite happened, as Babar failed to perform as per expectations as a batsman and as a skipper.
In the nine matches, he scored 320 runs with four fifties under his belt, which is not at par with his own high standards. Also, Pakistan finished fifth in the points table, failing to qualify for the semis. Speaking to Sportskeeda, Gambhir shed light on his comment made back then, and also what went wrong with Babar. It is important to note, that right after the World Cup debacle, Babar stepped down as the Pakistani captain.
“You’ll see the best of Babar Azam now. You will see a completely different Babar Azam. Before the World Cup, I picked Babar as the batter of the tournament. But the pressure of captaincy hampered his form with the bat. It’s because when you are the skipper and your team isn’t performing well, you can imagine how much pressure he was under,” Gambhir said.
Gautam Gambhir’s Another Prediction on Babar Azam
Not just that, Gambhir went on to make another bold prediction about the player. “You will see the actual Babar Azam that no one has seen. From now until the day he retires, you will see his actual ability. Babar has so much quality that he can go out and become the best batter Pakistan has ever produced. He has got 10 years with no pressure of captaincy,” Gambhir added.
Meanwhile, Pakistan is in Australia currently, and will play a Test series from December 14, under the leadership of new skipper Shan Masood.
