'Lock the kit bag away...': Ponting suggests Babar to take Kohli's way to regain form

New Delhi: Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has suggested former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam to replicate Virat Kohli's approach in a bid to rejuvenate his lost form.

Babar was rested for the last two Tests against England after his poor form. Pakistan won both matches and secured the series 2-1, the first under Shan Masood's rein. In 55 Tests, Babar has scored 3,997 runs at an average of 43.92.

However, he had not scored a Test half-century in 18 innings stretching back to late 2022 and has seen a dip in form in a year where he was made captain and then left the post after Pakistan suffered a group-stage exit in this year’s T20 World Cup in June.

“The biggest challenge is how they get Babar back into their side. They've got to find a way to get Babar back into form and back into their (Test) team," Ponting said in the ICC Review.

Ponting went on to suggest that Babar should take some time away from the game to return recharged, the approach former India captain Kohli attempted to get himself back to form after a barren streak with bat.

Earlier this year, Kohli stepped away from the game during India’s home Test series against England citing personal reasons. After his return, he went on to play a match-winning knock against South Africa in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 – India’s first ICC trophy in 11 years.

In 2022, Kohli took a similar break and delivered breathtaking performances across the formats over the next 12 months after returning from a break. He went on to score his first international hundred since 2019 along with a match-winning knock against Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, and a golden run in the ODI World Cup 2023 at home, scoring a record 765 runs and was named Player of the Tournament.

“You know, when you look at (Babar’s) numbers, it's been a bit like the stuff that we were talking about with Virat Kohli earlier on. Sometimes – and I think Virat was on record saying this – that little bit of a break that he had, he took himself away from the game for a while to freshen up and sort out some things that he needed to sort out.

"This might be exactly what Babar needs. Maybe Babar needs to get away for a while and stop trying too hard. Lock the kit bag away for a while, and think about something else and then hopefully come back recharged, because we know at his best he's as good as anyone going around. Hopefully, we get to see that in the back half of his career again," Ponting said.