'Intent ghar pe rakha tha kya?': R Ashwin blasts Babar Azam for sluggish knock against New Zealand in Champions Trophy opener

Babar Azam, the standout batsman for Pakistan, has come under fire for his lackluster showing against New Zealand in the opening game of the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025.  Babar's strike rate of 71.11 while pursuing a target of 321 runs in Karachi has disappointed both fans and experts.  Ravichandran Ashwin, a former Indian spinner, has also voiced his opinion, raising doubts about Babar's intentions throughout the match.

Ashwin acknowledged Babar's considerable skill in a recent video on his YouTube channel, "Ash Ki Baat," but he was perplexed by the right-hander's strategy in this specific game. He observed that Babar did not seem to have the same urgency as players like Khushdil Shah and Salman Ali Afgha, who played fiercely.

Opening the batting for Pakistan, Babar scored 64 runs off 90 balls. Despite his contributions, Pakistan lost the match by 60 runs. The team faced difficulties from the outset, ending the first 10 overs at 22/2, which set a challenging tone for the remainder of the innings.

“I’m a big fan of Babar Azam. Sometimes, as cricketers, when we want to safeguard our reputation, it becomes a problem. Reputation is not ahead of the team. Babar's knock was very difficult to watch,” Ashwin said.

"Intent kahan tha. Ghar pe rakh ke aaya tha kya? (Where was the intent? Did you keep it at your home? I actually feel that, coming into the match, Babar Azam didn’t create shot options for himself. He doesn’t have any shots, there’s no shot for square of the wicket, no sweep, no reverse sweep, bottom hand is closed. There are no shots in his armoury. Such innings weren’t even played in the 1990s,” he added.

Ashwin was direct and critical as he dissected Babar's decision-making during the chase. He pointed out that Fakhar Zaman, despite having an injured muscle, was more willing to take risks than the fully fit Babar Azam.

“What did they play yesterday? In the first 10 overs, they scored 20 runs without any shame. Salman Ali Agha, what a batting display! Tayyab Tahir, too, is aggressive, giving them a good platform to play. Babar is charging down the ground to defend the ball, he’s just playing dot ball everywhere. For this, he could have just gotten out,” he added.

Pakistan is currently behind in the Champions Trophy, and the hosts need to win against India to determine their own fate. A loss to Rohit Sharma and his team would mean that Pakistan's chances depend on other teams. Sadly, Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament, with Imam-ul-Haq taking his place.

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