"An India-Pakistan series is not going to be competitive at all" - Gautam Gambhir on India's 'hammering' of Pakistan in World Cup 2023 clash
Gautam Gambhir has lauded India for hammering Pakistan in their World Cup 2023 clash. He also stated that a potential ODI series between the arch-rivals will not be a competitive one.
The Men in Blue bundled out Babar Azam and company for 191 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14. The hosts then chased down the below-par target with seven wickets and 19.3 overs to spare to move atop the points table.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Gambhir was asked about his thoughts on India's total domination against Pakistan, to which he responded:
"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."
The former India opener added:
"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 feels Pakistan can only beat India on an odd day but will be consistently dominated otherwise. He added that the level of cricket is going down in the subcontinent and Pakistan are one of the biggest reasons for that.
"If any captain has Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav, it is a huge luxury" - Gautam Gambhir lauds India's bowling
![Jasprit Bumrah was the Player of the Match against Pakistan. [P/C: AP]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/10/6f381-16973858286518-1920.jpg?w=500)
Gautam Gambhir was also asked about India's bowling performance, to which he replied:
"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."
The cricketer-turned-politician picked Jasprit Bumrah's dismissals of Mohammad Rizwan and Shadab Khan as game-changing moments. He said:
"Shaheen Shah Afridi conceded runs. No doubt Shaheen Shah Afridi had to pick up wickets as they were defending 190, but Jasprit Bumrah again turned around the game by dismissing Rizwan and Shadab."
Gambhir concluded by pointing out that a captain is as good as his team. While acknowledging that Rohit Sharma is a good captain, he added that the Indian bowlers make him better.