India, Oct. 29 -- After being denied a spot in the T20I team for the Asia Cup last month, Babar Azam was handed an opportunity to prove his worth and cement his place in the set-up for the 2026 World Cup. However, his return to the international format turned into a nightmare on Tuesday after being dismissed for a two-ball duck in the opening match of the three-game series against South Africa in Rawalpindi.

Playing his first T20I game since December 2024, which was also incidentally against the Proteas, Babar walked in at No. 3 after the dismissal of Sahibzada Farhan on the penultimate ball of the fifth over. He was cheered loudly by the capacity crowd as he walked out to bat, needing nine runs to break former India captain Rohit Sharma...