Former cricketer Yograj Singh has made a bold claim ahead of the India versus Pakistan fixture at the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai on Sunday (September 14), claiming that the Men in Green don’t possess the necessary firepower to compete against the arch-rivals.
The Suryakumar Yadav-led side registered a commanding nine-wicket victory in their Asia Cup opener against the UAE on Wednesday (September 10). On the other hand, Pakistan kicked off their campaign with an emphatic 93-run win over Oman on Friday (September 12).
However, Yograj doesn’t seen see any real contest between the traditional rivals. According to him, IPL has elevated the status of Indian cricketers.
"As far as Pakistan is concerned, what will it do? It cannot compete with India. Since the IPL came to India, Indian players have become very big. Why? To get money. There is money here. It is a good thing. There should be money. Why not? Players should get money. Where there is money, there is prosperity," Yograj said while speaking to ANI.
"There is no match between Pakistan and India. It is not possible. Because the platform they play on is clay. And the sky is where we play cricket. The sky and the ground have never met. It is not possible," he added.
Yograj Singh doesn't see the Pakistan team walking on the path of progress, unless they switch their mentality to the one that aligns with their legendary skipper Imran Khan.
"I think Pakistan should develop its own team and its own people. Just like we think about our players, Pakistan should also think about them. Imran Khan brought players who were struggling with poverty and backed them to play. That is why they won the World Cup. They need a thought process like Imran Khan," Yograj remarked.
India squad for Asia Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
Pakistan squad for Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (C), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Muqeem.
