Babar Azam says ‘always learning’ from batting greats Kohli, Root

ISLAMABAD (Monitoring Desk): Pakistan’s T20 captain Babar Azam recently said he seeks guidance from international batting greats and colleagues Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Kane Williamson to learn about their mindset and how they approach different situations in cricket to improve his own performance.

Azam is counted among one of the world’s best batters in modern-day cricket. The right-handed batter has scored 3,898 runs from 52 Test matches, 5,729 runs from 117 ODIs and 4,145 runs from 123 T20Is. Azam has also scored 31 centuries for Pakistan in all three international formats and is frequently compared with top batters around the world such as Kohli, Williamson, Root and others.

Former South African batter AB de Villiers interviewed Khan for his YouTube channel in June before the T20 World Cup kicked off. However, the South African icon shared the full interview on Saturday in which he spoke to the Pakistani captain about his goals, achievements and how he handles pressure situations.

“When overseas players come [to Pakistan], youngsters engage them and learn because international players are playing lots of leagues and they share that experience with everyone,” Azam told de Villiers.

“When I was young, I always talked with you, learn from every single player. I am always talking to Kane [Williamson], [Joe] Root, Virat [Kohli],” he added.

The Pakistani captain said he tries to learn how these players approach the game, what is their routine and how they manage their self-belief. “So when you speak to good players they give you good advice that helps you a lot,” Azam explained. When asked what his goals and dreams for the future were, Azam said he was living in the moment mostly.

“Honestly, I’m just thinking day by day,” he said. “I’m not thinking about where I am going. I’m just playing my game and enjoying myself every single time. I just love to play cricket.” The Pakistani captain, however, has been heavily criticized recently by fans and critics alike for Pakistan’s lackluster performance in the T20 World Cup 2024. The green shirts, under Azam’s leadership, failed to beat minnows USA and India, crashing out of the World Cup in the group stages of the tournament last month.

Former cricketers and cricket commentators have asked Azam to resign as captain, with some even calling for his ouster from the international T20 squad.