"Give same Pakistan team under leadership of MS Dhoni, , I challenge that this team will be on a winning streak" - Manoj Tiwary criticizes Babar Azam

Former Indian batter Manoj Tiwary recently criticized Babar Azam's captaincy, claiming he was unwilling to be more proactive and adaptive to match situations. Tiwary feels that the same Pakistan side under MS Dhoni's leadership would be on a winning streak in the ongoing 2023 World Cup.

As things stand, the Men in Green are fighting for a semi-final spot in a three-way race with New Zealand and Afghanistan. All three teams have won and lost four games, and have one remaining fixture to try and nail the fourth position on the points table.

In an interview with a local Sports Channel, as quoted by CricketPakistan, Tiwary said:

"Give same Pakistan team under leadership of MS Dhoni, I challenge that this team will be on a winning streak. I feel that Babar could have done better as captain, he needs to be proactive and think one step ahead, for example how he continued with Shadab’s bowling example despite seeing that he was struggling to find his rhythm. I think it is better to remove the struggling bowler if he is not able to deliver properly."

While Babar led Pakistan to the final of the T20 World Cup a year ago, his captaincy skills have come under the scanner since the Asia Cup. Pakistan finished at the bottom of the Super Fours table of the recent Asia Cup and have been highly inconsistent in the ongoing World Cup.

Meanwhile, MS Dhoni is the only captain in cricket history to win all three white-ball ICC events - the 2011 ODI World Cup, the 2007 T20 World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy.

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"He has the skills to be among the legends like Sachin Tendulkar or Rohit Sharma" - Manoj Tiwary on Babar Azam

Babar Azam has been mediocre with the bat in the World Cup.

Manoj Tiwary added that blaming Babar Azam alone for Pakistan's recent struggles was unfair. The former Bengal skipper feels that the star batter has the potential to become an all-time legend.

By his high standards, the 29-year-old has struggled with the bat in the World Cup, scoring 282 runs at an average of just over 40 with no centuries.

"Babar is a great player under immense pressure. Blaming him alone for Pakistan's results is unfair. He has the skills to be among the legends like Sachin Tendulkar or Rohit Sharma. He is undoubtedly Pakistan's top batter of this era," Tiwary said.

However, Tiwary reasserted his stance that the Pakistan captain should be willing to think out of the box based on the match situation.

"It is important to have a proactive captain, Babar needs to think out of the box. He should be prepared to modify his plans according to match situation. At times you need to go against your initial plans when the situation on the field is different," he concluded.

Following a heartbreaking one-wicket loss to South Africa, Pakistan have won their last two games - against Bangladesh and New Zealand - to remain in contention for the semi-final. Faced with a must-win in their final league-stage outing, they will take on defending champions England at Kolkata on Saturday, November 11.