Former India batter Robin Uthappa isn’t holding back, openly blaming Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s “lack of Virat Kohli-like mental resilience” for his current batting slump, pointing directly to the relentless online criticism and “disrespect” Babar faces. This isn’t just a technical issue, according to Uthappa, it’s a deep dive into how external pressure is messing with a player at the top.
The Captaincy Roller Coaster and Pakistan’s Plunge
Babar Azam is back in the Test captaincy hot seat, but the road back has been wild. Shan Masood, who took over from Babar in late 2023, just got sacked after a dismal run. Masood’s tenure was brutal, racking up only four wins in sixteen matches. His very first assignment as captain saw Pakistan suffer a crushing 3-0 series defeat to Australia. Things hardly improved, with the team facing their first-ever home series loss to Bangladesh, going down 0-2. Masood’s sole series win? A 2-1 result against England at home. The absolute last straw came roughly two months ago when Pakistan endured a 0-2 series defeat away in Bangladesh, a result that cemented their spot at the very bottom of the nine-team World Test Championship table. Now, with Babar back at the helm, the pressure is on big time to turn things around.
Uthappa’s Shocking Take: It’s All in the Head
Uthappa’s perspective on Babar’s dip in form is pretty eye-opening. He’s convinced it has less to do with batting technique and everything to do with how Babar handles the constant online criticism. Uthappa believes Babar’s default response to hate has been to try and prove everyone wrong through performance, rather than simply tuning out the noise and focusing on his own game. He put it like this: “I think Babar’s situation, I wouldn’t even call it a downfall, as in I’d say his whole situation, is largely impacted by social media hate and social media abuse… his response to that was ‘I’ll do this, I’ll do this, I’ll do this and show them who I am.’ Like, I don’t think it’s been like ‘Okay, I need to shut this noise out, and I need to focus on what works for me.’ Right? I don’t think he’s done that.” That ability to block out the external distractions, Uthappa argues, is exactly what separated legends like Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Inzamam-ul-Haq from the rest. Those guys stayed grounded in their own self-belief no matter what was being said about them.
Babar’s first Test back as captain is set for July 25, an away game against the West Indies. He did hit a century in a warm-up, so the skills are still there. The real question is, can he finally tune out the noise, block the hate, and lead Pakistan away from the World Test Championship basement? This next chapter under his leadership is going to be must-watch cricket.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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