Ricky Ponting advises Babar Azam to follow Kohli’s formula to regain form

Ricky Ponting, the legendary Australian cricketer, offered advice to Pakistan’s top batter Babar Azam, encouraging him to take inspiration from India’s Virat Kohli to regain his form, especially in Test cricket.

Babar has been struggling recently, with an average of just 20.7 in Tests since 2023. His poor performances led to him, along with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, being dropped from the remaining two Tests of the series against England.

Despite these struggles, Babar, ranked number one in the ODI Batting Rankings, kept his place in Pakistan’s white-ball teams and is currently touring Australia. In his first ODI since the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Babar was dismissed for 37 runs in a tough two-wicket loss to Australia in the series opener.

Ponting, however, remains concerned about Babar’s form in Tests and emphasized the need for Pakistan to find a way to help their star batter return to his best.

“The challenge now is how they get Babar back into form and into the Test team,” Ponting said in the ICC Review.

He compared Babar’s recent struggles to those of Kohli, who faced a similar drought in form before taking a break in 2022 after a long period without a century. That break helped Kohli regain his confidence, leading to remarkable performances, including a match-winning knock against Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.

Ponting believes a break could benefit Babar in the same way. “Sometimes a break is exactly what players need,” he said. “Maybe Babar should step away from the game for a while to recharge and refocus. We know that when he’s at his best, he’s one of the best in the world. Hopefully, we’ll see that version of him again in the future.”