Before the match against India in T20 World Cup 2026, Babar Azam is under pressure due to poor form and strike rate. Former Pakistani cricketers have publicly bet on his performance on TV, raising questions about his ability.
Former Pakistan captain and star batsman Babar Azam remains the center of discussion ahead of the much-awaited T20 World Cup 2026 match against Team India at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, February 15. Babar Azam is one of the key players for Pakistan in this big clash against the defending champions.
Currently, 31-year-old Babar is trying to save his place in the T20I team after a string of poor performances and increasing criticism over his strike rate and style of play in the shortest format. In Pakistan’s first match against the Netherlands, Babar Azam faced criticism for being out for 15, after which he compensated to some extent by scoring 46 off 32 balls against the USA.
However, a point of concern has been Babar Azam’s strike rate, as his approach does not seem to suit the demands of modern T20 cricket, where aggressive intent from the start and building the innings quickly is often considered crucial to scoring big or chasing.
Former Pakistani cricketers bet on Babar Azam
As Team India is set to face Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2026, Babar Azam has once again found himself at the center of debate with former cricketers Rashid Latif, Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Aamir openly questioning his ability to perform in high-pressure situations.
Former Pakistani cricketers made fun of Babar Azam when he made a bold bet on live TV about his possible performance against India. Speaking on the Pakistani show ‘Game On Hai’, Shehzad said that if Babar leads Pakistan to victory with a match-winning innings, he will arrange a party for everyone in the studio and crew.
On the other hand, Aamir went a step further and claimed that if Babar scores more than 50 runs at a strike rate above 150 in this big match, he will come out of retirement. However, Rashid Latif is not keeping any expectations from the former Pakistani captain as he believes that Babar Azam will not be able to bat for long against Team India, which made everyone present in the room laugh.
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The conditions imposed by former Pakistani cricketers on Babar Azam quickly went viral on social media, with fans sharing clips of the light-hearted but heated discussion ahead of the India vs Pakistan blockbuster clash. Although the comments were meant in jest, it reflects the increasing scrutiny surrounding Babar Azam’s role in Pakistan’s T20I team.
How is Babar Azam’s record against Team India?
Babar Azam has faced Team India only in ICC and ACC events as the bilateral series between the two arch-rivals is indefinitely suspended following the 2016 Uri attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
In T20Is, Babar Azam has scored 105 runs in five matches at an average of 26.25 and a strike rate of 128.04, including one half-century. Azam was not part of last year’s Asia Cup as concerns were raised over his strike rate and his intentions in the shortest format, a move that has further intensified the debate over his role in Pakistan’s T20I plans.
In ODIs, Babar Azam has scored 241 runs in nine matches at an average of 30.12, including one half-century. The former Pakistani batsman’s overall record against Team India in international cricket has been mixed, with some stellar performances but no decisive innings in any major match.
Babar’s only match-winning performance came in the 2021 T20 World Cup, where he scored 68* against Team India, giving Pakistan its first win against the Men in Blue in World Cup history. Babar Azam is going to face Team India in the T20 World Cup 2026, so there will be huge pressure on the former Pakistani captain to perform on the big stage.