“He was trying not to get out” - Veteran Indian batter’s scathing attack on Babar Azam after loss in PAK vs NZ 2025 Champions Trophy match

Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara has criticized Babar Azam for his slow fifty during the Champions Trophy 2025 opener between Pakistan and New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday, February 19. The ace batter scored 64 runs off 90 deliveries as the Men in Green fell short of the 321-run target by 60.

Babar Azam, in his newfound role at the top of the order, had a new batting partner in Saud Shakeel. First-choice opener Fakhar Zaman was ineligible to take the field after being forced off due to a leg injury in the first innings. The makeshift opening pair struggled to get Pakistan off to a flying start, and the hosts soon found themselves reduced to 22-2 after the first powerplay.

Babar Azam tried to hold down one end, as wickets kept falling from the other. However, he did not put any pressure on the bowlers to ease the ever-rising required rate.

Cheteshwar Pujara highlighted Babar Azam's lack of footwork or intent against the spinners, further noting that mental pressure contributed to his tentative approach throughout.

“There was no intent. Babar’s footwork against the spinner was not good. He was not using his feet. He was not reaching to the ball. He was waiting for the ball to come to him. He was not committing. He was trying to flick the ball to get a single, but there was a square leg fielder," Pujara said on the 'Dressing Room' show (via The Indian Express).

"He didn’t tried to play any sweep shot or a paddle sweep. Nowadays, reverse sweep is also an option to disturb the length of a spinner. It looks like there is a mental pressure on him. You don’t need to play for your own runs. He was trying not to get out. But the dot balls added pressure on the batters, who came next," he added.

The former skipper was dismissed in the 34th over of the innings to leave Pakistan reeling at 153-6. Khushdil Shah's late charge (49-ball 69) propelled the side over the 250-run mark and salvaged the net run rate a bit.

"He needs to bat with more freedom" - Cheteshwar Pujara on Babar Azam

Babar Azam recently became the joint-fastest to reach 6000 ODI runs along with former South Africa player Hashim Amla. He took 123 innings to reach the landmark while his current average reads 55.81. However, the batter has been struggling to catch up with the increasing tempo of white-ball cricket in general, with his traditional approach at risk of being outdated.

"In one-day cricket, you need to bat with freedom, he is a natural stroke player. He needs to bat with more freedom. He needs to rotate strike and hit those odd boundaries. In the present time the strike rate of 70 and 80 are not good enough. In one-day cricket you can’t be looking to save your own wicket instead you go to win the match," Pujara added in the same discussion.

Pakistan will next face India in a do-or-die clash at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, February 23.