Pakistan captain Babar Azam (AFP Image)
Gautam Gambhir said that Babar Azam’s real test will be only against the Indian bowling line-up in the ongoing Asia Cup.
Veteran India opener Gautam Gambhir heaped praise on Pakistan captain Babar Azam for his consistent batting performance across formats. Babar is currently the only batter who is among the top 5 of ICC Rankings across formats. The Pakistan skipper also started the Asia Cup 2023 campaign on a high with a 151-run knock against Nepal but Gambhir feels that his real test will be against the Indian pace trio Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj.
Babar will face India in the much-anticipated clash on Saturday in the Asia Cup 2023.
India’s 2011 World Cup-winning star Gambhir feels that Babar doesn’t need to give any message to anyone as he has already proved himself with 19 centuries in 104 ODIs.
“Babar Azam doesn’t need to give any message. He has given a message in the 104 matches he has played. If you can score 19 centuries in 104 matches, I believe he will be in the top two or three players in all formats. So he doesn’t need to give a message,” Gambhir said on Start Sports.
Meanwhile, Gambhir suggested that India will be playing with their three premier pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj after a long time who will pose a threat to Babar in the upcoming clash.
“However, it will be a good contest. He will be tested against the Indian fast bowling. You will get to see an Indian attack after a long time, where all three bowlers (Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj) can test Babar Azam properly,” he added.
He further said that Babar’s real test will be only against the Indian bowling line-up in the ongoing Asia Cup.
“Babar Azam’s real testing will not happen against Nepal, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh, it will be against India. Such players also want to test themselves against this kind of bowling,” he added.
Squads: India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumraj, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (travelling reserve).
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir (travelling reserve).
