NEW DELHI: A day after getting knocked out of the Champions Trophy, Pakistan’s cricket squad continued to draw harsh criticism, with the legendary Sunil Gavaskar stating that they would find it difficult to defeat even a weak Indian team.
In the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday, India, the 2023 ODI World Cup finalists, continued their hegemony over the bitter rivals by defeating the reigning champions, Pakistan, by six wickets.
“I think a B team (from India) certainly (can give Pakistan a run for their money). C team, I am not too sure. But a B team will be very, very hard to beat for Pakistan in their current form,” Gavaskar said on ‘Sports Today’.
After New Zealand defeated Bangladesh in another Group A match, Pakistan – which is hosting an ICC competition for the first time since 1996 – was eliminated from the Champions Trophy. Pakistan has yet to win the competition.
Pakistan’s cricketing fortunes have deteriorated since winning the Champions Trophy in 2017, as the side has finished fifth in the last two ODI World Cups.
“I think it’s surprising-this lack of bench strength. Pakistan always had natural talent. Natural in the sense that they may not have always been technically correct, but they had an instinctive understanding of bat and ball,” Gavaskar said.
“Look at Inzamam-ul-Haq, for example. If you look at his stance, you wouldn’t recommend that to a young batter, but he had great temperament. With that kind of temperament, he made up for any technical shortcomings.”
Gavaskar added that Pakistan has had trouble producing good players in spite of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and domestic white-ball competitions.
“How has India produced so many young stars in white-ball cricket? It’s because of the IPL,” said the former India skipper.
“Players from there have gone on to play in the Ranji Trophy and eventually for India. That is something Pakistan cricket must analyse. They need to figure out why they no longer have the bench strength they once did.”
