Babar Azam has been dropped from the Pakistan Test squad due to poor form.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag has offered an important advice to struggling Pakistan batter Babar Azam on how to regain his form.
Notably, Babar hasn't scored a half century in his last 18 Test innings. He made just 35 runs across the two innings of the first Test against England in Multan, which Pakistan lost by an innings and 47 runs.
Subsequently, the PCB selectors took some bold calls and dropped Babar from the Test squad along with the pace duo of Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah.
Speaking on Shoaib Akhtar's YouTube channel, Sehwag suggested that Babar's difficulties stem from mental hurdles. He asked the under-fire batter to focus on domestic cricket to work through these challenges.
"Babar Azam should play domestic cricket now. He should work on his fitness, spend some time with family, then come back to international cricket as a physically fitter and mentally stronger player," Sehwag said.
"With expectations from Babar decreasing and his resignation from captaincy, it seems he has been more impacted mentally than in terms of technique. He needs to stay mentally strong. He's a talented player, and players like him tend to bounce back quickly," he added.
Meanwhile, Kamran Ghulam has escalated Babar Azam’s worries with a century on debut against England in the second Test.
Babar’s snub from the Test side paved the way for Ghulam’s selection. Amidst all the outside noise, the 29-year-old responded with an excellent knock of 118 in the first innings.
While Ghulam's hundred set the tone of the Test for Pakistan, it was Noman Ali and Sajid Khan who dictated the outcome with their spin prowess.
The duo took all 20 English wickets in the second Test to script Pakistan’s series-levelling victory with a match to spare. The series decider will be played in Rawalpindi from October 24.