India legend Sunil Gavaskar was ecstatic after the Men in Blue defeated Pakistan in their Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s stage encounter which was spread over two days in Colombo.
Thanks to centuries from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul and fifties from Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma, India posted 356/2 in 50 overs. India had to resume their innings on a reserve day at 147/2 in 24.1 overs after rain had stopped play on September 10.
Chasing a record 357 to win, Pakistani batters faced a strong test by Indian pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Hardik Pandya at the start, but they were hurt more by Kuldeep Yadav who picked 5/25 as the Men in Green was bowled out for 128 runs with Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf absent hurt.
India won by 228 runs and reacting to the same, Sunil Gavaskar said that India completely hammered Pakistan just like the way a washerman beats the cloth in a dhobi ghat.
"Forget about the biggest victory, puri tarah se dhula diya (we just hammered them), just as you wash clothes in a dhobi ghat. If you are a good team, you don't let the result of the previous match affect you. If they think too much about it, they won't be able to concentrate on the next match. I don't expect Pakistan to make such a mistake," he said on India Today.
Gavaskar also lauded Rahul for his 6th ODI ton and for being ready to perform as he was included in the India XI at the last minute due to Shreyas Iyer’s back injury.
"KL Rahul not only scored a century but also kept wickets," he added. "He made a big statement amid all the talk about his fitness. He proved that he is completely fit. Jasprit Bumrah, too, looked in great rhythm. His run-up looked good, and he swung the ball both ways. Even a world-class batter like Babar Azam was unable to play him," he said.
