"Our bowlers were bowling halfway down the pitch" - Sunil Gavaskar shares the turning point of IND vs PAK
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has revealed the turning point behind India's loss against Pakistan in their Super 4 match at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday (September 4).
He pointed out that the bowling unit failed to execute bouncers properly against Pakistan batters.
Speaking to Aaj Tak, Gavaskar said:
“There was, of course, an over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar [where he leaked 19 runs]. Earlier also, our bowlers were bowling halfway down the pitch."
He continued:
"It wasn’t [right] unless you bowl a bouncer above the shoulder and around the off-side, which is tough for the batters to pull. You are only making it easy. They were being pulled and cut for boundaries. So, the bowling wasn’t all that good.”
It is worth mentioning that India's pacers picked up five wickets against Pakistan using bouncers in the first round of the Indo-Pak match on August 28. However, Babar Azam and co. devised a plan to overcome their weaknesses.
“You can’t say that the catch was the main reason”- Gavaskar
Gavaskar said that Asif Ali’s catch was not the main reason behind India’s loss against Babar Azam and co.
However, he did mention that the catch could have played a role in the context of the result:
“Yes, the catch certainly would have helped because it would’ve created a panic in the Pakistani change room, but I don’t think you can say that the catch was the main reason [behind India’s loss against Pakistan].”
For those not in the know, Arshdeep Singh dropped a sitter in the 18th over bowled by Ravi Bishnoi. Asif Ali played a cameo for Pakistan with an eight-ball 16, which helped them chase down 182.
Arshdeep is a strong character. Stay that way boy. @arshdeepsinghh
Meanwhile, Arshdeep has been trolled on social media for dropping the catch. However, several cricketers have also come out in support of the raw Indian talent.
The Men in Blue will take on Sri Lanka on Tuesday (September 6). They must beat SL and Afghanistan to secure their place in the 2022 Asia Cup final on Sunday (September 11).
India are the most successful team in the Asia Cup, with seven titles. They can complete a hat-trick of titles after winning trophies in the last two editions of the tournament in 2018 and 2016, respectively.