Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has said that the recent hammering given by the Indian team to Pakistan in their ICC World Cup 2023 match in Ahmedabad doesn’t bode well for subcontinental cricket.
He also said that given the current evidence, a future India v Pakistan bilateral series might not be competitive for fans from both sides to be interested in. His words came after India extended its lead to 8-0 over Pakistan in Cricket World Cup tournaments.
India defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets in a one-sided contest in front of more than 120,000 fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Pakistan was bundled for 191 runs from 155/2. Then Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer hit half-centuries as India romped home with 117 balls to spare.
“Hammering along with domination. You use this word very rarely, that too when you are playing against Pakistan. If you see the results, Pakistan used to hammer India like this for a long time. However, for the last many years, India has dominated,” said Gambhir speaking on Star Sports.
“This is bad for subcontinental cricket. We always used to say that if we have an India-Pakistan series it will be competitive. An India-Pakistan series is not going to be competitive at all because there is a massive difference between the two sides,” he added.
The last time India faced Pakistan in a three-match ODI bilateral series the former lost 2-1 in Indian conditions in the 2012/13 season.
Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav were searingly clinical with the ball in the first innings picking two wickets each. Gambhir was all praiseful for Indian bowlers' efforts in the Ahmedabad heat.
“If any captain has Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav, it is a huge luxury. Out of 50 overs, you get 20 overs from bowlers who can give you wickets anytime. You were comparing Jasprit Bumrah with Shaheen Shah Afridi. Jasprit Bumrah’s first spell was under the 2 PM sun and he hardly gave any runs in his first four overs,” he added.
India will now face Bangladesh in Pune on October 19. Pakistan will clash with Australia in Bengaluru on October 20.
