Former Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has delivered a pointed critique of Pakistan's cricket team following their premature exit from the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025, suggesting that even India's second-string side would prove formidable opposition for the current Pakistan squad.
"I think even India's B team would give Pakistan a tough challenge. It would be very hard for Pakistan's current team to beat them," Gavaskar stated in a recent interview, highlighting what he perceives as a significant talent gap between the neighboring cricket powers.
The tournament hosts and defending champions Pakistan became one of the first teams eliminated from the competition after consecutive losses to New Zealand and India in the group stage. Their defeat to India was particularly notable, with Virat Kohli scoring an unbeaten century (100*) while successfully chasing Pakistan's total of 241 runs in Dubai.
Gavaskar specifically targeted Pakistan's batting approach, noting a lack of urgency at the crease. "Mohammad Rizwan hit the first ball of his innings for a four, and I thought we were in for something different. However, the batters soon started blocking deliveries instead of rotating the strike," he observed.
The cricket veteran drew comparisons between the two nations' talent development systems, emphasizing Pakistan's struggle to build adequate bench strength. "Pakistan has talented players, but they haven't been able to build a strong backup. It's surprising that they have struggled to produce batters like Inzamam-ul-Haq," Gavaskar remarked.
He pointed to structural differences in domestic cricket as a potential explanation for the disparity. "The Pakistan Super League is being played domestically, yet it hasn't yielded enough top-quality batters," Gavaskar said, contrasting this with India's development pathway through the Indian Premier League and domestic competitions like the Ranji Trophy.
Pakistan, who won the Champions Trophy in 2017 under Sarfaraz Ahmed's leadership, will not have the opportunity to defend their title as the tournament continues until March 9 without them.
Their elimination alongside Bangladesh marks a disappointing outcome for a team playing on home soil, particularly following recent struggles against New Zealand in a tri-nation ODI series that also included South Africa.
Cricket analysts suggest this early exit may prompt a period of reflection for Pakistan cricket as they evaluate their player development strategy and approach to limited-overs cricket at the international level.
