Rohan Gavaskar: “To call him a one-dimensional player is a little harsh because he is a quality-quality player. And if anything, the numbers suggest that he is not one-dimensional”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former India batsman Rohan Gavaskar said it’s harsh for people to accuse Pakistan captain Babar Azam of being a one-dimensional player.
Gavaskar pointed out that Azam is a “quality-quality” batsman as he regularly posts big scores and is always among the highest run-scorers for Pakistan every year.
The 28-year-old achieves these feats and continues to break records despite having the added pressure of the captaincy weighing down on his shoulders.
“To call him a one-dimensional player is a little harsh because he is a quality-quality player. And if anything, the numbers suggest that he is not one-dimensional,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying by Cricwick.
“The fact that he can change gears and you look at his numbers from the first innings to the second innings. In the first innings, his strike rate is about 125, second innings his strike rate is about 137 which shows that he has the ability to change gears.”
Azam was in fine form in the series against New Zealand as he made 226 runs in the two-Test series, which included a top score of 161, at an average of 56.50.
He then scored 149 runs in three ODIs, which included two half-centuries, at an average of 49.66.
With the Test series ending as a 0-0 draw and Pakistan losing the ODI series 2-1, the pressure has been mounting on Azam and rumours have emerged of him potentially being replaced as captain in one or more formats.
Nothing has been finalised as of yet, but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly keen on adopting the split captaincy model.
One name that has come up as a potential successor for Azam is top order batsman Shan Masood.
Azam will now lead the Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He was traded to the franchise from the Karachi Kings in exchange for big-hitting batsman Haider Ali and all-rounder Shoaib Malik.
PSL 8 is scheduled to be held from February 13 to March 19, with the matches being hosted in Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi and Quetta.
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