Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag recently shared his views on Pakistan batter Babar Azam’s performance, taking a dig at his recent struggles in international cricket. Sehwag suggested that Babar needs to focus on improving his fitness and mental strength to regain his form. Speaking on Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channel, Sehwag mentioned that Babar should take a break from international cricket and play domestic matches to work on his fitness and mental well-being.

Virender Sehwag emphasized that the former Pakistan captain’s current issues seem to be more mental than technical.

According to him, Babar has been affected by the pressure of expectations and his recent resignation from captaincy. Sehwag added that Babar is a talented player who can bounce back quickly if he stays mentally strong and physically fit.

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Pakistan’s Bold Selection Move and Ghulam’s Performance

Ahead of the second Test match against England in Multan, Pakistan’s selection committee surprised many by dropping Babar Azam for the final two long-format matches of the series. Kamran Ghulam, a batting all-rounder, was handed his maiden Test cap and stepped in to fill Babar’s spot as Pakistan looked to level the series.

Despite initial criticism from fans, Ghulam played a crucial role in the Test match. He displayed great resilience against England’s strong bowling attack, scoring an impressive 118 off 124 deliveries to keep Pakistan in the game.

While Ghulam’s knock set the tone for Pakistan, it was their spin duo, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, who dominated the match. The pair took all 20 wickets in the second Test, leaving England stunned. Sajid shined in the first innings with figures of 7/111, while Noman stole the show in the second innings with a remarkable 8/46.

With a 125-run victory, Pakistan leveled the series 1-1, and the final match of the series is set to take place in Rawalpindi on October 24.

Many cricket veterans and experts stood by Virat Kohli amidst the debate over his slow scoring rate in his unbeaten innings of 113 against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday. However, former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag didn’t hold back his criticism, suggesting that Kohli made a mistake by not picking up the pace. Alongside Mohammed Shami, Sehwag also expressed frustration at the other Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsmen for not providing enough support to Kohli.

Batting first against Rajasthan Royals, RCB got off to a good start, with Kohli and Faf du Plessis forming a solid partnership of 125 runs. But as the game progressed, Rajasthan gained momentum by taking quick wickets, leaving Kohli without much help on a pitch where spinners had the upper hand due to its slow nature.

Kohli fought a lone battle against the Rajasthan Royals bowlers, eventually becoming the first centurion of IPL 2024. However, his innings of 67 balls were one of the slowest centuries in IPL history.

Speaking to Cricbuzz after RCB finished with 183 for three in Jaipur, Sehwag suggested that RCB fell short by about 20 runs. He pointed out that Kohli’s strike rate should have increased after reaching fifty runs in 39 balls, but it didn’t, which was a mistake.

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Virender Sehwag also criticized other RCB batters, particularly Cameron Green and Glenn Maxwell, for their poor performances in IPL 2024 so far.

On similar lines, Shami emphasized that RCB shouldn’t solely rely on Kohli to carry them to victory every time. He stressed the importance of other batsmen stepping up to share the burden.

Shami, who is currently recovering from ankle surgery and not part of IPL 2024, spoke from the perspective of a bowler and emphasized the need for a collective effort from the team, rather than depending solely on Kohli’s brilliance.

Shubman Gill had fallen 26 runs short of the triple-figure mark on Friday in Mohali in the opening match of the ODI series against Australia, as he walked back with his head down in sheer disappointment at failing to finish the innings for India himself in the chase of 276. But on Sunday, on a batting-friendly track at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, with the longest boundary being 69 metres, Gill ensured that he got to his 6th ODI century, with which he broke a plethora of records. But India legend Virender Sehwag was not satisfied with the knock. Sehwag was left miffed, wanting a bigger score from an in-form Gill.

2023 has all been about Gill. Dominating thoroughly in the ODIs, especially, the young India opener has already smashed more than 1200 runs this year, the most by a batter in the format, with five centuries. Four of those came in India, which is now the joint most by a batter at home in a single calendar year as he matched Ricky Ponting and Pakistan’s Zaheer Abbas. The feat also took him closer to breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most runs in the 50-over format in a year, with most backing the 24-year-old to shatter the feat during the World Cup.

Despite the record show in Indore, Sehwag, in conversation with Cricbuzz, was left fuming at Gill not making the most of his form and missing out on a bigger score. He explained that scoring bigger runs are easy at a young age, with form, given that the body can recover quickly and allow the player to field as well, but it gets difficult with age.

‘Gill missed out on a double century’: Sehwag

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“He missed out last time but ensured that he got his hundred today, but I would still say that the form he is in he should have scored 160 or 180. He is now of just 25. Had he scored 200 today then he wouldn’t have become tired and could have fielded as well. At 30, he would have found it difficult because he wouldn’t have recovered. So it is better to score big runs now,” he said.

Sehwag further pointed out that when Gill was dismissed there were still a lot of overs left and had he stuck around for a few more deliveries then he could have got to his second double century. It was then that the former India opener subtly mentioned his 2011 feat against West Indies at the Holkar Stadium when he had scored 219. While also mentioning Rohit Sharma’s record of three double tons, he stressed on the fact that the Indore track gives batters the chance to go for such big knocks and opined that it was a missed opportunity.

“When you are in form and you are scoring runs then don’t throw your wicket away. When he got out, there were 18 overs still remaining. Had he played for 9-10 overs more he could have completed his second double hundred. Rohit Sharma scored three double hundreds. He had the opportunity today. A 200 has been scored at this venue by a player named Sehwag, because it is that sort of a track,” he said.