"India's B team will be very hard to beat for Pakistan": Sunil Gavaskar

[FearlessRoar]

Sunil Gavaskar, while speaking to a local channel:

“I think India’s B team will give a tough challenge to Pakistan. The B team will be very hard to beat for Pakistan’s current team.”

“Mohammad Rizwan hit the first ball of his innings for a four, and I thought we would see something different. However, the batters soon started blocking the balls instead of rotating the strike. Indian spinners completed their overs quickly, and it was surprising that Pakistan batters didn’t do anything.”

“Pakistan have talented players but they haven’t been able to built bench strength. It is suprising that Pakistan have failed to produce batters like Inzamam-ul-Haq. Pakistan Super League is being played in the country. India have talented players because of the Indian Premier League. Players from the IPL have played Ranji Trophy and then for India. Pakistan will have to think about this aspect of the game. They will have to figure out why they don’t have a strong bench strength as they once had in the past.”

 

[uppercut]

Sunil Gavaskar, while speaking to a local channel:

“I think India’s B team will give a tough challenge to Pakistan. The B team will be very hard to beat for Pakistan’s current team.”

“Mohammad Rizwan hit the first ball of his innings for a four, and I thought we would see something different. However, the batters soon started blocking the balls instead of rotating the strike. Indian spinners completed their overs quickly, and it was surprising that Pakistan batters didn’t do anything.”

“Pakistan have talented players but they haven’t been able to built bench strength. It is suprising that Pakistan have failed to produce batters like Inzamam-ul-Haq. Pakistan Super League is being played in the country. India have talented players because of the Indian Premier League. Players from the IPL have played Ranji Trophy and then for India. Pakistan will have to think about this aspect of the game. They will have to figure out why they don’t have a strong bench strength as they once had in the past.”

I saw Wasim and Waqar with Ajay Jadeja in a post match analysis and it was very apparent that Waz was very upset at the phattu team especially when even Ajay Jadeja was like maza nahi aaya match mey.

It must be very disheartening for the legends to see that their legacy is eroding quickly.

 

[volcyz]

It’s the truth.

This Pakistan team is built for ODI’s like it’s 1995 not 2025

 

[Savak]

Loving it. Indian ex players and pundits taking potshots at the Pakistani team and pundits and to be honest Gavasker is 100% spot on. India's B and C players have destroyed Australia, South Africa in ODI and T-20 Cricket of late. Just look at the players India has on the bench i.e Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Tilak Warma, Abishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh. Pakistan's top players like Shaheen, Naseem, Rauf will get slaughtered by India's bench strength.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Any team that has Babar and Rizwan playing in it is open season even for Uganda let alone India B.

 

[mominsaigol]

Pakistan could have another round of sweeping changes within their cricket structure after their latest failure against India, which pretty much sealed their fate in the 2025 Champions Trophy. India great Sunil Gavaskar has now expressed surprise at the lack of bench strength within the men's first team considering the history the country has with producing natural talent.

Pakistan hardly ever looked capable of competing in the two matches they have played thus far in the tournament that they are hosting - against New Zealand who beat them by 60 runs and India who beat them by six wickets. Gavaskar said that in their current team, Pakistan would struggle to beat a second-string Indian side as well. "I think a B team 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.

Pakistan batted first in Dubai against India and lumbered their way to 241 all out in 49.4 overs. India chased down the target in 42.3 overs with Virat Kohli scoring an unbeaten 100 in 111 balls. New Zealand beat Bangladesh the next day which confirmed Pakistan's first-round exit in the Champions Trophy.

Gavaskar pointed out that the lack of intent from Pakistan's batters is what hurt them. "The first ball (Mohammad) Rizwan faced, he hit for a boundary. Straightaway, I thought there would be a change in approach because, until then, it was all about knocking the ball around. But nothing changed. Before they knew it, the Indian spinners were finishing their overs quickly. It was quite surprising that nothing went their way," he said.

Pakistan were hurt by the absence of their regular opener Fakhar Zaman. He was replaced by a struggling Imam-ul-Haq, who scored just 10 runs in 26 balls before running himself out. They were also without Saim Ayub. Fakhar and Ayub are known to be Pakistan's most explosive batters and Gavaskar said he was surprised that they didn't have proper replacements for the players.

"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. 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 said.

"It's surprising that Pakistan have not been able to produce such talents. They also have the Pakistan Super League. How has India produced so many young stars in white-ball cricket? It's because of the IPL. 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," said Gavaskar.
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Link: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...mpions-trophy-hosts-woes-101740447049147.html​

He's not wrong. Also india's b team isn't really their b team. Their current bench strength is > their main bench on current form atm. Their main bench are leeching somewhat.

 

[batandballbattle]

Jaisawal
Abisheikh
Samson
Varma
Pant
Rinku
Sundar
Arshdeep
Chakravarthy
Siraj
Khaleel

This team would most likely beat a full strength Pakistan

 

[Rana]

Disagree with Sunny G

India A fluked win against shrewd captain Rizwan.

 

[Greenstorm]

You know things are bad when Sunni munni starts trash talking.

 

[uppercut]

Any team that has Babar and Rizwan playing in it is open season even for Uganda let alone India B.

yeh thoda zyada ho gaya ji .... Uganda ehh ?

 

[uppercut]

I think its about time India A, B and C teams start playing atleast ODI's regularly against each other. Pretty sure BCCI will get the ODI status for these matches. This should be the means to get selected to the main team.

 

[deltexas]

He's not wrong. Also india's b team isn't really their b team. Their current bench strength is > their main bench on current form atm. Their main bench are leeching somewhat.

Yes, The bench will have batters- Jaiswal, Abhishek sharma, tilak varma , rinku singh, samson, pant, nitish reddy, parag.. Stronger than the current batting team and more aggressive and fitter. And they are all young. So will be around for a long time.

 

[deltexas]

You know things are bad when Sunni munni starts trash talking.

Is he though if you think logically ?? The current Pak batting team - Its like , in the day of Netflix, you are still using VCR players.

 

[moghul]

Looks like Gavaskar still loves Pakistan cricket hence praising it. India's B team can beat many top national teams in the world and he is linking Pakistan team with them . Current Pakistan team will have hard time in beating any team participating in Ranji Trophy.

 

[deltexas]

Any team that has Babar and Rizwan playing in it is open season even for Uganda let alone India B.

Pak posters are understandably upset, but c'mon Uganda..

 

[mominsaigol]

Yes, The bench will have batters- Jaiswal, Abhishek sharma, tilak varma , rinku singh, samson, pant, nitish reddy, parag.. Stronger than the current batting team and more aggressive and fitter. And they are all young. So will be around for a long time.

Tbf, even if Gavasakr said that the under 19 team would beat current Pakistan team? He isn't wrong. An acc team thrashed Pakistan who were pretty much playing at full strength.

Naseem, Haris, Tayyab tahir, Saim ayub were all their lol. They lost to Pakistan in the final but mostly due to the constant choke nature that plagues India till the end of time, 2nd only to south africa.

In a bi lateral series, that Team is probably beating Pakistan minus fakhar and saim pulling miracles.

 

[Devadwal]

Jaisawal
Abisheikh
Samson
Varma
Pant
Rinku
Sundar
Arshdeep
Chakravarthy
Siraj
Khaleel

This team would most likely beat a full strength Pakistan

Forget about Pakistan team , india 'B' team can beat our main team or any other international team.

 

[kron]

Jaisawal
Abisheikh
Samson
Varma
Pant
Rinku
Sundar
Arshdeep
Chakravarthy
Siraj
Khaleel

This team would most likely beat a full strength Pakistan

Uh no B team has guys like
Mayank yadav
Kuldeep sen
Prasidh krishna

All 3 are good and better than siraj khaleel

But yes pak will lose

 

[kron]

I think it’s about time India A, B and C teams start playing atleast ODI's regularly against each other. Pretty sure BCCI will get the ODI status for these matches. This should be the means to get selected to the main team.

India B team would smash A team
Just give them bunrah
B team has the better players overall

 

[BouncerGuy]

People have got a chacne to say whatever they want to say whether it makes sense or not. Pakistan is responsible for all this mess actually.

 

[uppercut]

India B team would smash A team
Just give them bunrah
B team has the better players overall

Can you post your Ind A and B teams?

 

[jnaveen1980]

Apart from banter the thing that pakistan should be worried about is not winning tournaments. They should be worried more about their bench strength. Australia, NZ, SA have excuse not to have bench strength as they have other sports, they have lesser population. But they have better bench strength than Pakistan. Pakistan has no such excuse. Cricket is the main sports. It has substantial following. Also it has legacy. They sure have some weird camps like military camp, strike force camp. But not sure how professional they are. They should consider sending identified talents to Australia, England for training. They should arrange more A tours. Also Pakistan players should start participating in county like guys like Zaheer Abbas did. That is where professionalism, discipline can be acquired. COmpetitive environment has to be created. Communication problem is certainly there. Back then India and Pakistan used to play against each other in bilaterals. Ideas could be shared. For instance Younis Khan really considered Dravid as sort of a mentor. Nowadays they meet only in ICC events. I am not sure how to phrase it, i can call this pakistan unit as one of the naivest unit. They just lack direction. Even seniors lack direction. Fitness of Pakistan players are embarrassing. Imam ul haq is one guy who makes me feel unhealthy. Younis khan was supremely fit compared to these guys. Team like pakistan cannot be fixed by coach, staffs. Only a strong leader can fix them. Only they communicate in a language they understand.

 

[Hellion]

Very arrogant from this senile old man . Could well be true that Pakistan's best could be beaten by a team of IPL domestic rejects even.

But that doesn't mean you show off and act unprofessional.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Very arrogant from this senile old man . Could well be true that Pakistan's best could be beaten by a team of IPL domestic rejects even.

But that doesn't mean you show off and act unprofessional.

Okay i am not going ot blame Gavaskar here. It was the journalist who specifically gave a team and asked him whether they will beat Pakistan or not.

 

[saimayubera]

T20I first team:

Abhishek
Samson
Tilak
SKY
Rinku
Hardik
Axar
Riyan
Bumrah
Arshdeep
Varun

T20I second team:

Gill
Jaiswal
Pant
Gaikwad
Venky Iyer?
Dube
NKR
Sundar
Kuldeep
Mayank/Siraj
Harshit

I think both team defeats Pak. First one very very easily. Second one maybe 70-30?

 

[NishanKonar]

Problem for Pakistan is they play their full strength team against B / C teams of other countries in bilateral series. Now when u regularly play against B / C teams - u benchmark urself against those standards. U think u are doing great bcoz u are competing hard against those B / C sides but u forget that ideally u should be crushing them. Bcoz they are 2nd string side

Once u benchmark urself against B / C sides and get into comfort zone - playing full strength teams in ICC events feels like a rude jolt

U saw this at the 2023 Asia Cup. Pakistan and their fans genuinely thought they were the No 1 team bcoz they got that position in iCC rankings. That's why that mauling against India destroyed them mentally. Coz they realized for the 1st time that the ICC rankings are very misleading and they were not a legit No1 side.

 

[Ab Fan]

Shaheen and Naseem are still young and have lot of potential. It is a phase of rebuilding. Watch them reach Bumrah’s prime age and feel the impact they will have in world cricket.

@Bhaag Viru Bhaag

 

[saimayubera]

Problem for Pakistan is they play their full strength team against B / C teams of other countries in bilateral series. Now when u regularly play against B / C teams - u benchmark urself against those standards. U think u are doing great bcoz u are competing hard against those B / C sides but u forget that ideally u should be crushing them. Bcoz they are 2nd string side

Once u benchmark urself against B / C sides and get into comfort zone - playing full strength teams in ICC events feels like a rude jolt

U saw this at the 2023 Asia Cup. Pakistan and their fans genuinely thought they were the No 1 team bcoz they got that position in iCC rankings. That's why that mauling against India destroyed them mentally. Coz they realized for the 1st time that the ICC rankings are very misleading and they were not a legit No1 side.

Ravi Bishnoi who doesn't even get into a 2nd Indian T20 XI was ranked no 1 once.

Jasprit Bumrah, the T20 goat is ranked 42.

 

[saimayubera]

Shaheen and Naseem are still young and have lot of potential. It is a phase of rebuilding. Watch them reach Bumrah’s prime age and feel the impact they will have in world cricket.

@Bhaag Viru Bhaag

Add 2-3 to their ages. KPK has lots of age fudging.

 

[NishanKonar]

Ravi Bishnoi who doesn't even get into a 2nd Indian T20 XI was ranked no 1 once.

Jasprit Bumrah, the T20 goat is ranked 42.

ICC rankings are very irrelevant in today's context bcoz the international game has changed

Earlier biateral series and tri series were the major component of international cricket. All teams used to play 20-25 ODIs every year. In case of India even more - sometimes up to 40 ODIs a year. And everyone fielded their best playing XI. Those days ICC rankings meant something

Nowadays nobody bothers about bilateral series any more. Everyone except Pakistan play their B sides. That greatly distorts the rankings

Like this year there was ICC ODI player of the year award. Now India played just 3 ODIs whole year. They were the WC runners up. How do u judge properly ?

 

[NishanKonar]

Shaheen and Naseem are still young and have lot of potential. It is a phase of rebuilding. Watch them reach Bumrah’s prime age and feel the impact they will have in world cricket.

@Bhaag Viru Bhaag

Shaheen is clearly 30 plus. Naseem is 27-28

Have said this earlier. Age fudging does not generate any positive results. Only creates false hope. " Oh look he is only 24 - he has so much to offer " - when he actually 30 plus and probably past his prime ! Very obvious in case of Shaheen - u dont turn into a medium pace trundler at age of 24 !

 

[Thanos]

Indian commentators and players should avoid answering such questions. Though his assessment seems somewhat valid for now by looking at Pak team's performance but at the end it's sports.
Team performing better on a day wins the match.
Pak will win some match against India in future and fans will quote him. Lol

 

[kron]

Apart from banter the thing that pakistan should be worried about is not winning tournaments. They should be worried more about their bench strength. Australia, NZ, SA have excuse not to have bench strength as they have other sports, they have lesser population. But they have better bench strength than Pakistan. Pakistan has no such excuse. Cricket is the main sports. It has substantial following. Also it has legacy. They sure have some weird camps like military camp, strike force camp. But not sure how professional they are. They should consider sending identified talents to Australia, England for training. They should arrange more A tours. Also Pakistan players should start participating in county like guys like Zaheer Abbas did. That is where professionalism, discipline can be acquired. COmpetitive environment has to be created. Communication problem is certainly there. Back then India and Pakistan used to play against each other in bilaterals. Ideas could be shared. For instance Younis Khan really considered Dravid as sort of a mentor. Nowadays they meet only in ICC events. I am not sure how to phrase it, i can call this pakistan unit as one of the naivest unit. They just lack direction. Even seniors lack direction. Fitness of Pakistan players are embarrassing. Imam ul haq is one guy who makes me feel unhealthy. Younis khan was supremely fit compared to these guys. Team like pakistan cannot be fixed by coach, staffs. Only a strong leader can fix them. Only they communicate in a language they understand.

Nonsense. Pakistan lacks sporting culture through school systems.

Even if cricket is their main sport, they can’t be expected to perform at the top level because their school system is rotten. India face a similar problem in other sports outside cricket. Also lack of funding doesn’t help. Average Pakistani is poor.

First world countries like sena well not so much South Africa but still well ahead compared to Indian Pakistan etc have access to better nutrition on average, facilities, infrastructure and a robust school system. Asian countries are poorer on average and sport is always seen as secondary to the norm. Expectations should be curbed.

Also fitness culture is lacking as the average person isn’t exposed to such things until they mature. The nutrition the type of food they eat on average isn’t ideal for sport. It’s very hard not to indulge in desi food for most people as it’s delicious obviously.

 

[saimayubera]

Indian commentators and players should avoid answering such questions. Though his assessment seems somewhat valid for now by looking at Pak team's performance but at the end it's sports.
Team performing better on a day wins the match.
Pak will win some match against India in future and fans will quote him. Lol

Yeah and that will be the one match they win 4-5 years lol.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

You know things are bad when Sunni munni starts trash talking.

He's been holding it in for a long time as he was on the receiving end of it from Pak in his playing career. Time to give it back for him has finally arrived

 

[Cryin Out Loud]

It’s a valid opinion.

He doesn’t say that the India B team will necessarily win.

To restate what he said (and not what OP’s posted article says, those being the writer’s words)

"I think a B team 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.

It’s that a B team will be hard to beat. And if you see the names on the B team, it’s definitely a sound opinion given current form.

Heck, India B team could beat the A team half the time and I wouldn’t be surprised

 

[saimayubera]

He's been holding it in for a long time as he was on the receiving end of it from Pak in his playing career. Time to give it back for him has finally arrived

arrived a long time back and it was never this bad in his era.

pak's w/l ratio in the 80s and 90s compared to india was 1.8

ind's is 3 from 2010 onwards (and looks like it will keep getting higher)

ind-pak gap will keep on increasing as the economies diverge and the pak wins will be rarer and rarer.

have pak already won their last ever odi against india?

against weaker teams like pak, bang, SL, wi Ind have a 21-2 record in ICC ODI tournaments since 2010. and the two losses were in 2017 post which india has become stronger.

SL, bang, WI still occasionally defeat india in bilaterals where india fields weakened teams. pakistan doesn't have that luxury.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

The thing is despite Indian fans claims this rivalry is still very important to cricket.

While of course India will want us to lose there needs to be some competition to keep the thrill alive. Winning all the time gets boring. Winning when it's men against boys gets boring. There is only so long that they can keep flogging this dead horse. If Pakistan continues like this for 1-2 years then it's a useless rivalry.

So for former players seeing a once good side fade away is a cause for alarm because it affects the game as a whole. I think Gavaskar deep down knows that this game is really only loved in Asia and to keep people engaged India-Pakistan needs Pakistan to win occasionally too.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Sunil Gavaskar speaking to Basit Ali on the latter’s YouTube channel:

“There was a time when we used to say that the natural talent was in the West Indies. After the 1980s, we used to say the same thing about Pakistan. They had the mental strength to bowl."

“I think the shortcoming that we saw in Pakistan’s team was a lack of confidence. It’s a matter of self-confidence. There is no shortage of talent. But there is a lack of confidence."

“The confidence that they (previous teams) used to have, you don’t see that in Pakistan’s team. It seems like they are hesitating to enter the field. It seems like they are hesitating."

 

[jnaveen1980]

Nonsense. Pakistan lacks sporting culture through school systems.

Even if cricket is their main sport, they can’t be expected to perform at the top level because their school system is rotten. India face a similar problem in other sports outside cricket. Also lack of funding doesn’t help. Average Pakistani is poor.

First world countries like sena well not so much South Africa but still well ahead compared to Indian Pakistan etc have access to better nutrition on average, facilities, infrastructure and a robust school system. Asian countries are poorer on average and sport is always seen as secondary to the norm. Expectations should be curbed.

Also fitness culture is lacking as the average person isn’t exposed to such things until they mature. The nutrition the type of food they eat on average isn’t ideal for sport. It’s very hard not to indulge in desi food for most THeypeople as it’s delicious obviously.

They all had similar deficiencies before. But they were doing better. Current pakistan is the most regressive team in their history

 

[saimayubera]

They all had similar deficiencies before. But they were doing better. Current pakistan is the most regressive team in their history

Cricket was an unprofessional sport before. From the 2000s onward all the first world countries have become good.

Australia was always good but Eng/NZ became good.

SA who is middle income also has remained good.

India with rising economy also became good. As Ind becomes richer will become better. Every subsequent generation is better.

Issue with Pakistan is its economy. No amount of selection changes etc etc is gonna change that.

And Pakistan economy is not going to improve in the next 10-15 years and they will be left even further behind.

 

[saimayubera]

Nonsense. Pakistan lacks sporting culture through school systems.

Even if cricket is their main sport, they can’t be expected to perform at the top level because their school system is rotten. India face a similar problem in other sports outside cricket. Also lack of funding doesn’t help. Average Pakistani is poor.

First world countries like sena well not so much South Africa but still well ahead compared to Indian Pakistan etc have access to better nutrition on average, facilities, infrastructure and a robust school system. Asian countries are poorer on average and sport is always seen as secondary to the norm. Expectations should be curbed.

Also fitness culture is lacking as the average person isn’t exposed to such things until they mature. The nutrition the type of food they eat on average isn’t ideal for sport. It’s very hard not to indulge in desi food for most people as it’s delicious obviously.

exactly.

as india has become richer, they have become better.

the gap will keep growing.

all this selection etc stuff is just fluff.

unless pak fixes its economy, nothing is changing. and they won't (due to the military and i don't want to get to much into it).

 

[kron]

They all had similar deficiencies before. But they were doing better. Current pakistan is the most regressive team in their history

Weak era
Unprofessional era

Everything has changed since about 2008

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Actually Pakistan itself is sending their B teams to tournament these days....No Sufiyan, Irfan Niazi, Sajid, Arafat Minhas, Saim etc

 

[jnaveen1980]

Cricket was an unprofessional sport before. From the 2000s onward all the first world countries have become good.

Australia was always good but Eng/NZ became good.

SA who is middle income also has remained good.

India with rising economy also became good. As Ind becomes richer will become better. Every subsequent generation is better.

Issue with Pakistan is its economy. No amount of selection changes etc etc is gonna change that.

And Pakistan economy is not going to improve in the next 10-15 years and they will be left even further behind.

I closely watch under-19 cricket and how each teams are. Last 10 years Pakistan u19 cricket has been mediocre. Remember the 2018 batch when India made 280 or something and bowled pakistan out for 63. Everyone looked distinctly average. This has been the case for more than a decade. I knew they will be struggling for bench strength. Your junior cricket has to be in good order to produce more reserves.

 

[Kroll]

India has a population of 5 zillion people, they could probably create teams with all letters of the alphabet plus another 50 odd teams and Pak would still not be able to beat them.

 

[saimayubera]

I closely watch under-19 cricket and how each teams are. Last 10 years Pakistan u19 cricket has been mediocre. Remember the 2018 batch when India made 280 or something and bowled pakistan out for 63. Everyone looked distinctly average. This has been the case for more than a decade. I knew they will be struggling for bench strength. Your junior cricket has to be in good order to produce more reserves.

yeah. bang u-19 have been better in the junior levels and that will translate to senior soon vis a vis pakistan.

i would argue it's already happened.

test whitewash is a big thing.

bang economy will be way way bigger compared to pak's in say 2040. cricket team will also be way better.

even 2010 pak lost heavily to ind (jaiswal batch)

and the asian games 2023 with b teams pak came 4, asia cup 2023 pak came 4th.

forget india, pak might lag behind bangladesh, sl and afghanistan as well.

 

[saimayubera]

India has a population of 5 zillion people, they could probably create teams with all letters of the alphabet plus another 50 odd teams and Pak would still not be able to beat them.

problem is most of them are poor. as india is becoming richer, the effective pool is becoming better hence the team is becoming better.

lots more guys from smaller towns and non traditional centres compared to pre 2000s where it was all mumbai, delhi, bangalore etc

pakistan's economic growth has not kept pace hence unable to increase the "effective pool" although there has been more players from kpk compared to earlier.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Former Indian cricketer, Sunil Gavaskar, urged ex-Pakistan cricketers to not be overly critical of their side and the members during the distressing spell the side was going through, he said:

"Well, I have to be honest, I don't really have much idea what happens in Pakistan. But what I've seen every time Pakistan doesn't do well is the barrage of criticism that comes from those who should instead support them. I can understand the the the common fan who gets disappointed, but those who have played the game before and those who know that, you know, winning is not, always possible. There will be losses. You will lose even to some ordinary teams,"

"Not every time a batter goes, he scores a hundred. Not every time a bowler bowls, he gets five. So, if that's support, I think that support is essential for the current Pakistan team. Sometimes, when you know, when snippets are sent with some other former Pakistani cricketers having a go at the current team, you look at them and ask 'Hello, did you win every match that you played in for Pakistan? You didn't.' So, even this team is struggling a little bit. So, lift them up instead of criticizing. By all means, if there is some petty, ordinary cricket, and if it's your job to talk about it, talk about it. But after that, come back and support the team,"

 

[pratiktc]

Have to say that Pak cricketers are among the most shameless lot.

Ex players like Tanveer, Shoaib, Basit quite frankly I don't mind them spewing their bile wrapped as C-grade analysis since they are retired and need to do something to earn money. They are clickbait/ragebait specialists and wish them good luck and good riddance.

What is poor is current players like Shadab, Imam etc. going on panels. If you still harbour hopes of playing at national level, atleast you should have the decency to not evaluate your colleagues in public forum. It does not matter whether your analysis is critical or not, it simply cannot lead to a stable dressing room in the future.

 

[Hellion]

Actually Pakistan itself is sending their B teams to tournament these days....No Sufiyan, Irfan Niazi, Sajid, Arafat Minhas, Saim etc

None of those guys, except Saim, would improve the main team

 

[Farhan The Man]

India has a population of 5 zillion people, they could probably create teams with all letters of the alphabet plus another 50 odd teams and Pak would still not be able to beat them.

In that sense aussies with their meager 27mil pop should also not be winning then.

But they do. And much more.

pakistanis are a regressed nation. Both physically and mentally. Due to cousin brother-sister marriages and islam respectively.

 

[Justcrazy]

Maybe I do not agree 100 % but imagine chasing 320 runs , and you are 22 after 10 overs.

This is not acceptable by any standards. I would rather be 50 for 4

Its sad , and these batters need to be hurt. They need to work on intent and skills both.

 

[Shafikapeo]

Come on Pakistan, what are you guys doing? Don't make the India-Pakistan cricketing rivalry dull for the fans. Raise your game and show a good performance.

 

[IAJ]

This comment from Mr. Gavaskar reminded me of the comment from Pandya where he said:

'We can pick two more teams and win any competition in the world': India all-rounder Hardik Pandya​

India should just forget Pakistan and start winning tournament after tournament in ODI format.

There are many reasons why we see Pakistan in this situaton, but this will In sha Allah change one day.

 

[saimayubera]

In that sense aussies with their meager 27mil pop should also not be winning then.

But they do. And much more.

pakistanis are a regressed nation. Both physically and mentally. Due to cousin brother-sister marriages and islam respectively.

australia are a first world country and completely optimize their pool.

india is a poor country but as it has gotten richer over the past 20-30 years the quality has become better.

pakistan is a poorer country but has seen economic stagnation especially post 2000 and this reflects in the cricket as well.

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

Sunil Gavaskar speaking to Basit Ali on the latter’s YouTube channel:

“There was a time when we used to say that the natural talent was in the West Indies. After the 1980s, we used to say the same thing about Pakistan. They had the mental strength to bowl."

“I think the shortcoming that we saw in Pakistan’s team was a lack of confidence. It’s a matter of self-confidence. There is no shortage of talent. But there is a lack of confidence."

Let's be honest here.

Pakistan doesn't have the talent either.

 

[saimayubera]

Let's be honest here.

Pakistan doesn't have the talent either.

I think with how cricket crazy Pak is and the huge population, the raw material is there.

In the professional modern era, you need more robust systems though which Pak doesn't have.

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

I think with how cricket crazy Pak is and the huge population, the raw material is there.

In the professional modern era, you need more robust systems though which Pak doesn't have.

I don't agree. It's not like Pakistan used to have a robust system in the last 40 years. But the talent still came through.

There is a clear lack of talent now in Pakistan. In both batting and bowling.

 

[Justcrazy]

Let's be honest here.

Pakistan doesn't have the talent either.

That is exactly what Ex Pakistan players need to understand.

Now the question is how to compete , you can do that with limited talent . By making right decisions and executing the plans properly. By eliminating errors.

Unfortunately Pakistan players do not even do that.

 

[Mainul]

Loving it. Indian ex players and pundits taking potshots at the Pakistani team and pundits and to be honest Gavasker is 100% spot on. India's B and C players have destroyed Australia, South Africa in ODI and T-20 Cricket of late. Just look at the players India has on the bench i.e Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Tilak Warma, Abishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh. Pakistan's top players like Shaheen, Naseem, Rauf will get slaughtered by India's bench strength.

Absolutely. Actually Gavaskar being generous here. He went upto B team . The fact is Pakistan cricket has got so downhill in so quick time that even Indian formers cant accept it. Even Indiann want a strong Pakistan cricket team so that they can have a fight. But unfortunately India vs Pakistan has now become a fight (!) between a lion and a cat.

 

[PakistanMeriJaan]

In that sense aussies with their meager 27mil pop should also not be winning then.

But they do. And much more.

pakistanis are a regressed nation. Both physically and mentally. Due to cousin brother-sister marriages and islam respectively.

Let’s be honest with ourselves, it has nothing to do with religion. Childish comment.

 

[Snowflake]

These kind of statements are absolutely useless and serve zero purpose.

Can’t confirm this until it happens. Play your B team and then we’ll see. Till then, keep this trash within yourself

 

[YousafTheBeast]

India’s B team will probably be full of youngsters that have already played 50+ List A games. They’ve been grinding for years in domestic whereas in Pakistan, one game will be enough for you to get picked for the Shaheen’s or even the national team.

 

[Farhan The Man]

Let’s be honest with ourselves, it has nothing to do with religion. Childish comment.

When you proactively believe in allah's miracles winning you cricket matches, you effectively negate self-belief. You try less. And pray more.

2003 World Cup. Before the India game, Saeed Anwar claimed that if they pray hard , then angels will descend from heaven and help Pakistan beat India. After the loss at Centurion the then team manager Tauqir Zia mockingly asked Anwar what happened to those angels who were supposed to help Pakistan. Anwar angrily retorted that the players probably did not pray hard hence they got no help from the angels.​

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Pakistan lost to India because their players are inbreds - Farhan the Man

 

[JaDed]

When you proactively believe in allah's miracles winning you cricket matches, you effectively negate self-belief. You try less. And pray more.

2003 World Cup. Before the India game, Saeed Anwar claimed that if they pray hard , then angels will descend from heaven and help Pakistan beat India. After the loss at Centurion the then team manager Tauqir Zia mockingly asked Anwar what happened to those angels who were supposed to help Pakistan. Anwar angrily retorted that the players probably did not pray hard hence they got no help from the angels.​

? Any link to this?

 

[JaDed]

These kind of statements are absolutely useless and serve zero purpose.

Can’t confirm this until it happens. Play your B team and then we’ll see. Till then, keep this trash within yourself

USA was almost along those lines?

 

[JaDed]

Pakistan obviously has talent but no hunger and that is visible in majority of Pakistanis currently in every field except anomalies like Arshad.
Pakistanis used to aim higher in other fields too , they don’t anymore.

 

[light]

There is a very good chance that the current india B team > A team. Some of the place hoggers are in the A team and should retire.

 

[saimayubera]

I don't agree. It's not like Pakistan used to have a robust system in the last 40 years. But the talent still came through.

There is a clear lack of talent now in Pakistan. In both batting and bowling.

No one had a robust system then.

Cricket was way amateur back then.

The idea that England, a first world country was a weak team is laughable.

It's only now you have these fitness regimens, analytics, matchups etc.

 

[giri26]

? Any link to this?

Smokers’ Corner: Faith in cricket

Much has been written about the spectacle of religiosity in the Pakistan cricket team. Most scribes who still write...

www.dawn.com

 

[Snowflake]

USA was almost along those lines?

None of those guys qualify to play for India.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Hope this statement may not haunt someone in future

 

[LordJames]

I honestly wish that Pakistanees stop caring what the Indians have to say and stop comparisons and devote that energy into solving the problem. Pakistan in all formats is unable to compete on equal footing with India and that's the worry, forget about the B teams.

Pakistan needs serious introspection and improvements across all formats and in all areas and work needs to begin in earnest, starting with putting an able person in charge of PCB and then it needs time.

STOP wasting time, Indians are better and their pace attack is also better and that's the reality but they are not the benchmark for success.
​

 

[JaDed]

Hope this statement may not haunt someone in future

It should haunt/annoy PCT fans.. but if its future or past all PCT fans care about ..then nothing to say.

 

[Local.Dada]

India’s B team can beat Indias main team in white ball on most days leave alone Pakistan . Too many old players in the team.