Gambhir says Babar Azam was extremely timid against India

Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian opening batsman, expressed his views on Pakistan's captain, Babar Azam, after India's 7-wicket victory over Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023. Gambhir remarked that he found Babar to be overly cautious in his approach against India, noting that both Babar and Mohammad Rizwan seemed to be adopting a similar batting style. Despite Babar scoring 50 runs from 58 balls, Pakistan struggled to post a total of just 191 runs in their first innings. 

Gambhir specifically criticized Babar's dismissal, describing it as a very poor shot, especially from a player of his caliber. Following this significant win, India climbed to the top of the World Cup 2023 points table, surpassing New Zealand due to a superior net run-rate of +1.821. Gambhir also highlighted the shot's improbability, given the conditions and length of the delivery.