(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir expressed his opinion on India and Pakistan playing bilateral cricket, stating that if they do, the series will not be competitive at all.
India recently achieved a thumping victory against Pakistan in the 12th match of the 2023 World Cup by seven wickets. This means that Pakistan have now lost all eight matches against India in the ODI World Cup history.
Gambhir, in a show on Star Sports, believes that the Indo-Pak bilateral series will not hold any significance because India are far superior to the current Pakistani team. He expressed that Pakistan’s weaker position is not a good sign for sub-continental cricket.
“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 have dominated. 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,” Gambhir was quoted as saying on Star Sports.
India and Pakistan have faced each other in 135 ODI matches, with Pakistan enjoying a lead with 73 wins, while India is steadily closing the gap with 57 victories.
Notably, both teams last played a bilateral series back in 2012-13 when Pakistan toured India for two T20Is and three ODI matches. The T20I series ended in a draw, but Pakistan managed to win the ODI series 2-1.
Gambhir further praised Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav for their consistent wicket-taking ability. He acknowledged that Bumrah is far ahead in terms of skill set compared to Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.
“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.