Gautam Gambhir believes Babar Azam will be a top batter at the ODI World Cup 2023. The ex-India cricketer thinks Azam has every element required to spark things up as the opening day draws closer.
Gambhir is one of India’s few players to be in two World Cup-winning squads and he held nothing back while painting a glowing picture of Azam’s potential performance at the tournament.
“Babar Azam has every quality to set this World Cup on fire. I have seen very few players who have so much time. Yes, there are Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, David Warner, Kane Williamson and Joe Root but Babar Azam has a quality of a different level,”
Gambhir on India’s Chances at the World Cup
Gautam believes India need to defeat tough opposition like Australia to stand any chance to clinch a third ODI World Cup title. Australia is the most-decorated ODI World Cup side in history, and it makes total sense that Gambhir is weary of Aussie prowess in cricket’s 50-over format:
“Look, I have always said this, and there is no doubt in this, that if you want to win the World Cup, then you have to beat Australia. In 2007 when we won the World Cup, we defeated Australia in the semifinal. In 2011 when we won the World Cup, we beat Australia in the quarterfinal. Australia is the strongest team in any ICC tournament. Remove the ranking, the ranking does not matter,”
It is not out of place for Gambhir to make such glowing remarks of Babar Azam’s performances. Azam has had one of the best ODI careers for Pakistan, amassing over 5,400 runs in 108 games. He also has an impressive average of 58.16 with over a dozen and half centuries.
Azam’s performance will come in handy from October 6 for Pakistan when they face a dogged Netherlands side in Hyderabad. All eyes will be on Azam to defend his recently affirmed position as the number one batter in ICC ODI rankings.
Babar Azam Career Stats
Babar Azam Batting and Fielding Stats
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct |
| Tests | 49 | 88 | 9 | 3772 | 196 | 47.7 | 6836 | 55.17 | 9 | 26 | 440 | 23 | 36 |
| ODIs | 108 | 105 | 12 | 5409 | 158 | 58.1 | 6069 | 89.12 | 19 | 28 | 488 | 56 | 46 |
| T20Is | 104 | 98 | 14 | 3485 | 122 | 41.4 | 2714 | 128.4 | 3 | 30 | 371 | 53 | 42 |
| FC | 85 | 142 | 14 | 5784 | 266 | 45.1 | 10328 | 56 | 12 | 38 | 709 | 35 | 58 |
| List A | 172 | 168 | 19 | 8325 | 158 | 55.8 | 9576 | 86.93 | 29 | 46 | 779 | 70 | 73 |
| T20s | 268 | 258 | 41 | 9462 | 122 | 43.6 | 7347 | 128.7 | 10 | 77 | 994 | 173 | 122 |
(Stats are accurate as of September 28, 2023)
Babar Azam Bowling Stats
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10w |
| Tests | 49 | 8 | 90 | 42 | 2 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 21 | 2.8 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ODIs | 108 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| T20Is | 104 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| FC | 85 | 27 | 810 | 465 | 7 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 66.42 | 3.44 | 115.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| List A | 172 | 29 | 633 | 555 | 12 | 20-2 | 20-2 | 46.25 | 5.26 | 52.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20s | 268 | 5 | 78 | 85 | 4 | 20-2 | 20-2 | 21.25 | 6.53 | 19.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
(Stats are accurate as of September 28, 2023)
Gautam Gambhir Career Stats
Batting and Fielding Record
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
| Test | 58 | 104 | 5 | 4154 | 206 | 41.95 | 8067 | 51.49 | 9 | 22 | 518 | 10 |
| ODI | 147 | 143 | 11 | 5238 | 150 | 39.68 | 6144 | 85.25 | 11 | 34 | 561 | 17 |
| T20I | 37 | 36 | 2 | 932 | 75 | 27.41 | 783 | 119.02 | 0 | 7 | 109 | 10 |
| FC | 198 | 331 | 24 | 15153 | 233 | 49.35 | – | – | 43 | 68 | – | – |
| List A | 299 | 292 | 19 | 10077 | 151 | 36.91 | – | – | 21 | 60 | – | – |
| T20 | 251 | 245 | 24 | 6402 | 93 | 28.96 | 5309 | 120.58 | 0 | 53 | 747 | 90 |
Bowling Record
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10w |
| Test | 58 | 1 | 12 | 4 | 0 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ODI | 147 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 0 | – | 13 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20I | 37 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| FC | 198 | – | 397 | 281 | 7 | 40.14 | 4.24 | 56.7 | – | 0 | 0 |
| List A | 299 | – | 37 | 36 | 1 | 36 | 5.83 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20 | 251 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
