Babar Azam Asked to Retire by Indian Stalwart After Pakistan's Humiliating Exit From T20 World Cup 2026

T20 World Cup 2026: Pakistan's stalwart Babar Azam was not even in the XI for their must-win Super 8 game against Sri Lanka on Saturday. The Men in Green won the match by five runs and now there are calls for Babar to retire. Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board to have an ‘honest conversation’ with the cricketer and then take a call on his future. 

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‘Has to be an honest conversation with Babar’

"There has to be an honest conversation with Babar Azam. If he is not in the team's plans going forward, that message needs to come clearly from the management. He needs to know where he stands," Pujara said on Star Sports. 

"It would be unfair to place all the blame on Babar. There is a lot of focus on him, but ultimately, it is the unit that has failed. The middle order needs serious attention, and that has to be addressed," he added.

Babar has had a forgetful run at the marquee event. He managed just 91 runs in six tournament outings at an average of 22.75 and a strike rate of 112.34.

Hailing Fakhar Zaman's template of T20 batsmanship, Pujara reckoned his style is the blueprint for Pakistan's future in T20 cricket.

"Fakhar Zaman at the top of the order looks really good and sets the tone for this Pakistan side. This is how Pakistan have played their best T20 cricket, fearless and aggressive, going after bowlers from ball one. That 176-run stand was outstanding and a reminder of what this team is capable of. They have done it before, and they will need to do it again," he added.

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Lanka Nearly Won

The game went right down to the wire and Sri Lanka nearly edged Pakistan. The Lankan side has to be credited for the way they played and gave the men in green a real run for their money.