T20 World Cup 2022: Gautam Gambhir slams Pakistan captain Babar Azam for playing 'selfish' cricket

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir labeled Pakistan captain Babar Azam a 'selfish' cricketer, saying that he put himself ahead of his team.

Babar Azam has struggled for form recently. He has failed to reach double digits in his three innings in T20 World Cup 2022 so far. Despite his poor form, Babar decided to open the innings with Mohammad Rizwan in the match against the Netherlands.

He scored four runs off five balls at a strike rate of 80 before getting run out. Pakistan needed some quick runs at the top in that match because the target was just 92 runs, and a big win would have boosted the Men in Green's net run rate.

Despite having Fakhar Zaman in the team, Pakistan persisted with their opening pair of Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam. Gautam Gambhir was not happy with the decision as he said on Star Sports:

"In my opinion, first, you think about your team instead of yourself; if nothing goes according to your plan, you should have sent Fakhar Zaman up the batting order. This is called selfishness; as a captain, it is easy to be selfish."

Fans should note that Mohammad Rizwan scored 49 runs off 39 balls in that match. Fakhar Zaman, who came out to bat at number three, departed after scoring 20 runs off 16 deliveries. Pakistan won the game by six wickets with 37 balls to spare.

If you want to be a leader, you have to think about your team: Gautam Gambhir comments on Babar Azam's captaincy

Gambhir, who won two IPL championships as Kolkata Knight Riders' captain and even led the Indian team in a few matches, offered some advice to Babar. He added:

"It is easy for Babar and Rizwan to open the innings for Pakistan and create so many records. If you want to be a leader, you have to think about your team."

Pakistan will play their next match of T20 World Cup 2022 against South Africa on November 3. It will be interesting to see if captain Babar changes his tactics in that do-or-die match.