“There Was A Mental Pressure”: India Star Doesn’t Hold Back, Analyses Exactly Why Babar Azam Struggled | Cricket News

Pakistan crashed to a 60-run defeat against New Zealand in their opening game of Champions Trophy 2025. Chasing a stiff target of 321, Pakistan were never really in the hunt, following a poor start that saw them manage only 22 in their first 10 overs. Pakistan stalwart Babar Azam could not fire, and was particularly criticised for his slow strike rate. India batter Cheteshwar Pujara pinpointed exactly why Babar failed to score big, and criticised his approach during the run chase.

Pujara dissected exactly where Babar went wrong during the run chase.

“There was no intent. Babar’s footwork against the spinner was not good. He was not using his feet. He was not reaching for the ball. He was waiting for the ball to come to him,” Pujara said, speaking on the post-match show of ‘Sports Central‘.

Babar took as many as 81 balls to notch up his half-century, and scored only 64 off 90 balls by the end.

Pujara stated that Babar did not bat as freely as he could’ve, and may have been bogged down by pressure.

“It looks like there was a mental pressure on him. In ODI cricket, you need to bat with freedom. He is a natural stroke player. He needs to bat with more freedom. He needs to rotate strike and hit those odd boundaries. Nowadays, a strike rate of 70 and 80 is not good enough. You shouldn’t play for your own runs,” stated Pujara.

Pakistan are expected to be under pressure. After all, it is the first time in nearly three decades that the nation is hosting a major ICC event, with the last time being the 1996 World Cup, which they co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka.

Babar’s cautious approach came after Pakistan lost two wickets in the first 10 overs, as makeshift opener Saud Shakeel and captain Mohammad Rizwan departed cheaply. Rizwan was dismissed after a stunning acrobatic one-handed catch at point by New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips.

Pakistan got a boost thanks to fiery knocks by Salman Ali Agha (42 off 28) and Khushdil Shah (69 off 49), but the two’s efforts weren’t enough.

Pakistan fell 60 runs short in the end, meaning that their home Champions Trophy campaign got off to a difficult start. They now have to travel to Dubai to take on arch-rivals India on February 23, before coming back home to Rawalpindi for the final group game against Bangladesh.