Dinesh Karthik didn’t hold back after the high-stakes T20 World Cup clash, calling Babar Azam’s early shot “submission” and questioning the Pakistan skipper’s temperament in a pressure moment. Karthik’s critique, aired on Cricbuzz, landed hard because it framed the dismissal not as a technical error but as a psychological lapse.
“I cannot imagine Virat Kohli playing that shot that early in the innings. That is submission,” Dinesh Karthik said, drawing a direct comparison with Virat Kohli and implying Babar lacked the single-mindedness that defines top-tier finishers.
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“He needed to absorb pressure instead of playing that shot,” Dinesh Karthik added, underlining that containment and patience early in a chase are often the marks of greatness.
Pakistan’s chase of 176 collapsed fast — three wickets inside two overs put them on the back foot and removed the platform Babar could have used to build an innings. The right-hander’s 5 off 7 now joins a worrying sequence of low scores against India in T20 World Cups, fuelling debate about whether expectation and match-up anxiety are costing him consistency.
Statistically, the contrast with Kohli is stark: while Babar’s returns against India in this marquee event have been modest, Kohli’s head-to-head numbers read like a masterclass in big-match temperament. That’s the context Karthik leaned on — greatness isn’t just about runs, it’s about how you react under pressure.
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For Pakistan, the immediate task is practical: regroup and beat Namibia to keep Super Eight hopes alive. For Babar, the conversation will likely shift from technique to mindset. Skilled as he is, the captain faces more scrutiny now — not because he can’t score big, but because the rivalry demands mental steel as much as batting polish.
Karthik’s words are sharp medicine: public, pointed and designed to provoke reflection. Whether Babar responds with a composed, match-winning innings will tell us more about his standing in pressure cricket than any stat line can.
