"Captaincy is Small Thing, Performance is What Matters" - Younis Khan Advices Babar To Learn From Kohli

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Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has suggested Babar Azam to learn from star India batter Virat Kohli on how to step down from captaincy on own terms and focus on performance.

This comment was made as Babar is in the middle of one of the most difficult phases of his cricketing career, struggling to make an impact both with the bat and as a captain.

Babar had stepped down as skipper following the early elimination from the ODI World Cup last year, but was reappointed the captain in the limited overs format earlier this year.

In his first assignment, Babar's side drew a five-match T20I series with a second string New Zealand side at home before losing to Ireland in the first match of the series followed by a 0-2 loss against England in the build up series to the T20 World Cup 2024.

In the T20 World Cup 2024 earlier this year in June, Babar-led Pakistan crashed out in the group stages following a shocking defeat to the USA and a disappointing loss to arch-rivals India.

While that was his performance as captain, Babar has been in poor form with the bat as well. In the recent Test series against Bangladesh, star batter scored just 64 runs in four innings, as the side suffered a shock 0-2 series defeat.

On the back of the recent results as captain and performance as batter, former Pakistan skipper Younis has advised Babar to take Kohli as an example, highlighting how the star India batter stepped down from captaincy to focus more on his batting.

"Look at Virat Kohli. He chose to step down from captaincy on his own terms, and now he's breaking records worldwide. This shows that playing for the country should be the priority. If there's any energy left, then play for yourself," Younis said during an event in Pakistan.

Younis also revealed Babar was made captain in 2019 because he was the best player at the time, but the former skipper said the star batter now needs to refocus on his game.

"The only suggestion I have for Babar is that he should focus on his cricket. He should up his performance. Babar Azam was made the captain because he was the best player at the time. I was there when the decision was made that the team's best player should be the captain," Younis added.

Younis also criticised Babar and other players for prioritizing personal gains over team goals, stating "If Babar and other top players deliver on the field, then results will be clear to everyone. Humare players khelte kam, bolte zyada hai. (I have observed that our players tend to talk more than they perform)."