WATCH: Wasim Akram expresses discontent with Pakistan captain Babar Azam for receiving jersey from Virat Kohli after embarrassing loss against India

Pakistan captain Babar Azam received a lot of backlash after the embarrassing 7-wicket loss against India in the 12th match of the ODI World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14. Although, Babar smashed a half-century but couldn’t get the support from the other batters.

Meanwhile, former Pakistani cricketing legend Wasim Akram also criticized Babar but for a different reason. Akram was more disappointed with Babar for accepting a jersey from Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli. The Indian veteran gifted 2 Indian jerseys to Babar after the match was over.

Watch the video here:

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Do it after the game in the dressing room: Wasim Akram

Akram, known for his straightforward opinions, expressed his disapproval of the gesture, citing the fierce rivalry between India and Pakistan on the cricket field. He believes that such moments could send mixed signals to fans and may not be in the best interest of the team’s focus and unity. He believes that after getting defeated badly, Babar shouldn’t have accepted the jerseys or he could’ve asked for the jerseys in the dressing room.

“That’s what I exactly said when I saw the picture (getting the shirts publicly, not privately). Today was not the day to do this. If you want to do it – if your uncle’s son has asked you to get Kohli’s shirt – then do it after the game in the dressing room.” Akram was quoted as saying by Zee News.

Pakistan won their first 2 matches of the tournament convincingly but they faced their loss against India who have won all 3 matches of the tournament so far. The Men in Green will now face Australia on October 20. The Kangaroos have lost their first 2 matches of the tournament and will be vying to open their winning account against Pakistan. So it’s not going to be easy for the Pakistan team to recover from this loss. India, on the other hand, will face Bangladesh on October 19 in Pune