Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has strongly criticized batting legend Sunil Gavaskar after Gavaskar suggested that even India’s second-string team could outperform Pakistan. Gavaskar’s statement followed India’s dominant victory over Pakistan in a recent Champions Trophy match. He implied that Pakistan might not even be capable of defeating India’s B-team, stating that a B-team would pose a significant challenge for Pakistan in their current form.
However, Inzamam dismissed Gavaskar’s claim, bringing up an old allegation that Gavaskar once avoided playing against Pakistan in Sharjah. Inzamam stated that while India played well and won, Gavaskar should consider historical data. He mentioned the alleged incident in Sharjah, emphasizing respect for Gavaskar as a senior figure but criticizing his remarks about Pakistan. Inzamam argued that praising one’s own team is acceptable, but disparaging other nations is inappropriate.
Inzamam further highlighted the overall head-to-head records between India and Pakistan, suggesting Gavaskar was damaging his own reputation with such contentious statements. He urged Gavaskar to review the statistics to understand Pakistan’s standing and expressed his disappointment, believing Gavaskar’s comments were beneath his stature as a respected former cricketer. Inzamam concluded by advising Gavaskar to be more careful with his words.
While Pakistan holds a lead in head-to-head ODI stats against India with 73 wins to 58, their recent performance in cricket has been less impressive, finishing fifth in the last two ODI World Cups.
Gavaskar had also previously commented on the reasons for Pakistan’s recent struggles in international cricket, pointing to a lack of bench strength despite Pakistan’s history of producing natural talent. Gavaskar used Inzamam-ul-Haq as an example of a player with immense temperament who overcame any technical deficiencies, despite having an unconventional batting stance.
Former England captain Michael Atherton also previously described the current India-Pakistan rivalry as largely one-sided in terms of competitiveness.
