Virender Sehwag's advice to Babar Azam on handling 'diminished expectations' following the removal of former Pakistan Test skipper

Despite their initial doubts, recent developments have validated the concerns about the team, especially regarding Babar's future. Babar's performance in the World Test Championship has been disappointing, with an average of 22.66 in five Tests last year and 18.50 in four Tests in 2024, raising serious questions about his place in the team.

Former India batter Virender Sehwag has said that Babar should now go back to Pakistan's domestic cricket to regain form. "Babar Azam should play domestic cricket now. He should work on his fitness, spend some time with family, then come back to international cricket as a physically fitter and mentally stronger player,” said Sehwag on former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar’s Youtube Channel.

Babar was sacked as Pakistan's all-format captain after their underwhelming 2023 World Cup campaign. He was then reinstated as their limited-overs captain after just a series of Shaheen Afridi leading Pakistan as their new T20I skipper in March this year before resigning from the post in October after another underwhelming campaign in the T20 World Cup.

Sehwag said that all these factors seem to have affected Babar, which means that the reason behind his poor form is his mental makeup and not any technical deficiency. "With expectations from Babar decreasing and his resignation from captaincy, it seems he has been more impacted mentally than in terms of technique. He needs to stay mentally strong. He's a talented player, and players like him tend to bounce back quickly," Sehwag added.