“You need to be very careful with words”: Shahid Afridi slams Gautam Gambhir for calling Babar Azam selfish as leader in ICC T20 World Cup 2022

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been getting a lot of stick because of his performances with both as a batter and leader in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Gautam Gambhir recently criticized Babar Azam by saying him selfish, but Shahid Afridi has slammed Gautam for his words.

Pakistan’s qualification for the knockouts of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 is still not in their hands as they are dependent on other results. They lost their first match against India at the MCG, whereas the shocking defeat against Zimbabwe in Perth hampered their campaign.

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The form of Babar Azam is a concerning thing for the Pakistani side. He has scored just 8 runs in 3 innings so far and his decisions on the field as captain have also been criticized by many. Babar is one of the best batters in the world, and he will play a big part in the Pakistan vs South Africa match.

Shahid Afridi slams Gautam Gambhir for calling Babar Azam selfish

Former Indian batter Gautam Gambhir, who is currently doing commentary for Star Sports was very critical about Babar Azam’s approach in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. He called Babar Azam selfish for not promoting Fakhar Zaman to the top despite the opening being Fakhar’s preferred position.

Gautam insists that it will be beneficial for Pakistan if Fakhar opens the innings, and believes that as a captain, Babar should think about his team instead of making his own personal records with Mohammad Rizwan at the top-order.

“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,” Gautam Gambhir said about Babar Azam.

Shahid Afridi, who has a history with Gautam Gambhir has criticized him for his remarks on Babar. He said that Gambhir should use his words carefully, and you should advise a player in such a way that a player can understand the narrative of it. Afridi insists that Babar has given so many match-winning performances for Pakistan in the past.

Afridi said that Babar has been getting a lot of stick as he has not been able to meet the expectations of people with the bat. He also showed faith in Babar about bouncing back.

“There is always criticism, but you need to be very careful with words. You should use words that should come as advice for the player, and you can make the people understand it as well. As far as Babar is concerned, he has given so many match-winning performances,” Shahid Afridi replied to Gautam Gambhir on Samaa TV.