“I don’t think Pakistan can ever beat India in an ICC trophy” - S Sreesanth’s huge statement on cricket’s legendary rivalry
Former India fast bowler S Sreesanth has made a huge claim, stating that Pakistan would never be able to beat the Men in Blue in an ICC event. According to Sreesanth, even India’s C team can beat Pakistan’s first XI.
Team India hammered Pakistan by seven wickets in the 2023 World Cup clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14. With the triumph, they maintained their unbeaten record over their arch-rivals in the ODI World Cup.
India and Pakistan have met eight times in the ODI World Cup, starting in 1992, with the Men in Blue winning all the contests. Even in the T20 World Cup, Pakistan have only defeated India once - in Dubai during the 2021 edition.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, while discussing India’s domination over Pakistan, Sreesanth commented:
“Mickey Arthur said we’ll meet in the final. I don’t think Pakistan can ever beat India in an ICC trophy and or in any other event considering the team they have. Even our C team can beat Pakistan’s main XI. Make an IPL XI of players who are not playing, even they can defeat the Pakistan team.”
He also spoke on Arthur’s statement over the absence of Pakistan fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
“Pakistan cannot even dream of playing in such a big stadium. We gave them a chance, but if you play like that, you won’t get such changes again,” Sreesanth added.
Sent into bat after losing the toss, Pakistan collapsed from 155/2 to 191 all out. India chased down the target in 30.3 overs courtesy of skipper Rohit Sharma’s 63-ball 86.
“An India-Pakistan series is not going to be competitive at all” - Gautam Gambhir
Earlier, former India opener Gautam Gambhir also expressed disappointment over Pakistan’s performance in the World 2023 match against the Men in Blue.
Speaking to Star Sports, he opined that an India-Pakistan bilateral series [if held] will not be competitive.
"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 sub-continental 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 commented.
India are currently on top of the 2023 World Cup points table, with three wins from three games. Pakistan are fourth, with two wins and a loss.