Real no.1 is one who wins matches: Gambhir slams Babar

Former Indian cricketer, Gautam Gambhir, didn’t mince his words when discussing Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, and his recent performance, as well as the criteria for achieving the top spot in cricket.

In a recent interview with Star Sports, Gambhir openly critiqued Babar’s World Cup performance, emphasizing that he hasn’t produced any noteworthy innings in the tournament so far.

“Babar Azam hasn’t played any impactful inning. Records and rankings are overrated. The real No.1 is the one who wins matches,” said Gambhir.

The former opening batter didn’t stop there and went on to discuss Pakistan’s performance in the recent tournament, emphasizing a critical area of improvement for the team.

“First thing that Pakistan needs to work after the World Cup is their fitness – there is a huge difference between Pakistan and other nine teams in the fielding,” he concluded.

The 29-year-old has faced scrutiny for his recent performances in the aforementioned tournament. Despite having scored three half-centuries in the tournament, including a 50 (65) against South Africa, 74 (92) against Afghanistan, and 50 (58) against India, his overall tournament performance has raised questions. 

In six matches played, Babar has amassed 207 runs at an average of 34.50, with a strike rate of 79, which falls short of expectations for a player of his stature.

This is the first time in World Cup history that Pakistan suffered back-to-back four consecutive defeats.