Former Pakistan captain-turned-commentator Ramiz Raja has on Saturday (April 11) showered rich praise on Babar Azam, saying “sky is the limit” for the talented batsman and that he even has the ability to beat India’s batting master Virat Kohli if the former stops thinking about losing.
The renowned commentator suggested Pakistan’s T20I batsman Azam to free up his mind and just think about scoring runs which would eventually make him one of the greatest players in the game.
Raja told a local news channel: “For Babar Azam sky is the limit. Until and unless he gets the environment which is encouraging and engaging, he won’t be able to love up to his potential.”
The former cricketer further added, “He has the potential to even beat Virat Kohli but he needs to free up [his mind] and not think about losing. As soon as he does that and thinks about scoring runs and winning, he will remain a great player for a very long time.”
Meanwhile, Raja credited India’s “nationalist approach” and their “grassroots level” to the Indian cricket team’s improved performances over the last decade.
Read Also: "Leave your Ego behind," Mohammad Hafeez takes an indirect dig at Ramiz Raja
He explained, “The first thing about it [rise of Indian cricket in the past 10 years] is the nationalist approach. Secondly, they have worked extensively on grassroots level. The culture of batting is embed in their young kids from the very beginning. Despite more emphasis on T20 cricket these days, they still focus on teaching the forward defensive shot to their youngsters in order to establish a strong base.”
Raja signed off by saying, “The same goes for their bowling because they knew that it was inferior as compared to Pakistan, so changed their approach and put in a great deal of effort in terms of coaching methods and quick pitches to turn things around in this regard,”
(With Cricket Pakistan Inputs)
