Under Babar's captaincy, Pakistan failed to qualify for the World Cup 2023 semi-finals.
The Pakistan skipper came into the showpiece tournament as a No. 1 ODI batter but couldn’t do justice with the numero uno tag. In nine innings, the right-hander amassed 320 runs at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 82.90.
Babar also came under the scanner for his captaincy as Pakistan failed to qualify for the World Cup semis after losing five out of nine matches.
After this dismal show, Babar Azam is receiving flak from all quarters. Many fans, former players and cricket experts want him to be sacked as captain.
Amid the scrutiny, legendary India all-rounder Kapil Dev has defended Babar’s captaincy, saying that people are criticizing him based on his current performance and not his track record.
The World Cup-winning Indian captain also urged people to look at Babar’s approach towards the game and the talent that he possesses.
"If you say that Babar Azam is not the right choice [for captaincy] today, it is because you are looking at just his current performance. He was the same captain, who made Pakistan team No.1 [in ICC ODI rankings] six months ago," Kapil said while speaking on The Ranveer Show.
"When someone gets out for zero, 99 per cent of the people would want him to be dropped. If an ordinary player comes and scores a brilliant hundred, then they call him a superstar. So don’t look at just current performance. Look at how he has approached the game, how much passion and talent he has," he added.
Pakistan’s next assignment is the tour of Australia, where they will play three Tests from December 14 to January 7. It remains to be seen whether Babar Azam will retain his position as captain for the tour Down Under or not.