'He's under pressure': Dinesh Karthik on Babar Azam's form

Babar Azam has struggled in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh scoring 0, 22, and 31 runs in three innings.

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Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has expressed concerns over Pakistan captain Babar Azam's recent struggles, during the Test match series against Bangladesh.

Karthik, known for his insightful commentary, praised Babar's exceptional batting skills but highlighted the immense pressure the star batter is under as captain.

Babar managed to score 31 off 77 deliveries in the first innings of the second rain-hit Test match. 

Earlier, Pakistan team found themselves on the wrong side of the results in the first Test against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Babar endured a difficult match, being dismissed for a duck in the first innings and managing only 22 runs in the second innings after narrowly avoiding a second duck due to a dropped catch.

Pakistan suffered a shocking 10-wicket defeat, marking their first-ever Test loss to Bangladesh.

During an interview on Cricbuzz's "Hey CB with DK," Karthik acknowledged Babar's quality as a player but pointed out the burden of captaincy affecting his performance.

"Babar Azam as a player, nobody can doubt his quality. He's got outstanding batting potential, though I feel he's under a lot of pressure," Karthik said.

Karthik also criticised Pakistan's decision to declare early in the first innings of the first Test against Bangladesh.

He emphasized the importance of scoring big and batting long in the first innings, especially in Asian conditions, to put pressure on the opposition.

"That's something they need to rethink. In that Test match against Bangladesh, I thought they declared a touch too early. In Asia, it's about batting big and batting long in the first innings," Karthik added.

Furthermore, Karthik delved into broader challenges faced by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, attributing their struggles to financial difficulties impacting infrastructure and domestic cricket quality.

He emphasized the critical role of a strong domestic structure in producing quality international cricketers.

"Financially, they've had their struggles, and hence it reflects in the infrastructure development, and in turn, in their domestic cricket. It's a very big cycle—how you get your finances, how you use them for cricket, and how you make sure that domestic cricket is strong enough to feed into international cricket," Karthik explained.

As Pakistan prepares for the second Test, they aim to bounce back and level the series while securing valuable ICC World Test Championship points.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam's form and leadership will be closely watched as the team seeks redemption.