Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam's decline in form has been a major talking point on social media and in Pakistan. With scores of 0, 1, and 2 in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), it has only gotten worse for the Pakistan star with former cricketers not helping his cause. With some questioning his batting position at the top of the order, to some doubting his intent to improve, he has perhaps endured all in the last couple of years. There is no question of talent or the lack of it, and the biggest testament to that would perhaps be being compared to India star Virat Kohli. Fair? Not really. Kohli was already established by then and was at the peak of his career, while Babar was in his initial years of international cricket.

The 30-year-old is paying a heavy price for Pakistan's fixation with India, Kohli, and Sachin Tendulkar in particular, and always trying to prove to the world that their players are at par with some of these Indian stars, if not better. Some players like Inzamam-ul-Haq might have managed it a little better, but Babar here is almost breaking down.

"Let's try to sum up Virat Kohli a little bit. Now tell me, who is the hero of Virat Kohli? Sachin Tendulkar has scored 100 centuries, and Virat is chasing his legacy," Shoaib Akhtar said on PTV Sports a couple of months ago.

"Who is Babar Azam's hero? Tuk tuk (Without naming any cricketer). You have picked the wrong heroes. Your thought process is wrong. You were a fraud from the beginning. You were caught from the beginning. You made it clear in the ICC Champions Trophy itself that 'I have become No. 1 for one and half days. You are no No. 1. You promoted the wrong people,” he further added.

Imagine being called a fraud for not scoring runs for your country or not living up to their expectations. Have the former Pakistan cricketers lived up to their expectations just as custodians of the game in their country? Certainly not!

“First of all, let me tell you one thing. Virat Kohli is nothing compared to Babar Azam; Kohli is zero. We are not talking here about who is a better player and we are talking about Pakistan cricket. Which has been destroyed. There is no planning, no strategies, no merit, and there is no accountability at all. There is no accountability,” former Pakistan cricketer Mohsin Khan told Ary News during the Champions Trophy earlier in the year.

From being called a fraud to now being better than Kohli - there is nothing in between in Pakistan. Now, the owner of Karachi Kings in the PSL, Salman Iqbal, has gone a step further. The benchmark is no longer Kohli. It has reached Sir Viv Richards and Sir Garfield Sobers. We should thank our stars that he was gracious enough not to drag Sir Donald Bradman into this.

"Babar should leave captaincy and focus on his cricket. While chasing a 240-plus target, he gave away a catch to slip and got out. He is not focused. Zalmi management should remove him from captaincy and play him as a batter. He is harming himself. Babar is not doing anything; he just keeps playing," said Basit Ali on his YouTube channel after another disappointing outing for Babar in the PSL.

"I will give the example of Virat Kohli. He retired from T20Is, and he is not even the captain of RCB. If you follow him, then learn something from him. You should play as a batter," he added. Perhaps sound advice, but not so sound given the current circumstances.

"I think either Babar has an ego issue or is too shy to seek advice from his seniors in overcoming his current situation," former Pakistan great Zaheer Abbas said, as quoted by PTI a couple of days back. Perhaps the most credible and thoughtful advice in recent times. Babar's issues might be mental and not technical at all. And even if it is technical, some of these former cricketers would be far better off to send a personal note to him rather than spitting venom on TV channels or social media. By all means, do justice to the money some of these cricketers earn for appearing on these channels — but at least be constructive in both your praise and criticism.

Being respectful and leaving him alone doesn't cost much, and sometimes can be the best way to go about it. Babar Azam remains Pakistan's best bet as former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt said. He has the potential to be a modern-day great as well. Just let him be Babar Azam and not a replica of Kohli or Richards, or any other cricketer. At the moment, he is everywhere, everything, yet nothing.

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from IPL 2025,IPL Orange Cap, IPL Purple Cap, Most Sixes in IPL, Cricket, Sports and around the world.