'India Will Be Saying Big Thank You': Sunil Gavaskar Slams Babar Azam's Captaincy In Ind-Pak Asia Cup Fixture

Cricketer-turned-commentator Sunil Gavaskar said that India would be thanking Babar Azam, because they were allowed to flourish a partnership in middle overs.

Sunil Gavaskar said he didn't make sense of Babar Azam's captaincy in Ind vs Pak Asia Cup 2023 match.

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Team India's Asia Cup 2023 campaign started on a disappointing note as the high-octane India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 match was washed out; not even a single delivery could be bowled due to incessant rains at Sri Lanka's Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Despite a bitter top-order collapse, which saw them losing four wickets to Pakistani pacers for mere 65 on board, the Men in Blue managed to post a respectable first innings total of 266. Many fans were left confused as to why captain Babar Azam removed pacers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf to let spinners bowl to middle-order batters Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan. The India duo went on to stitch a solid century stand that changed the complexion of the game completely.

Cricketer-turned-commentator Sunil Gavaskar, in an interaction with India Today, said he didn't make sense of Babar Azam's captaincy in Ind vs Pak Asia Cup 2023 match.

"I think the bowling changes didn't make any sense because if you have three bowlers, the pace bowlers have taken the early wickets, you want to keep at least one ongoing from one end. I know that you can't really go through long spells, but one person could have been bowling from one end and Shadab or Nawaz from the other end," Gavaskar told India Today.

Gavaskar said that India would be thanking Babar, because they were allowed to flourish a partnership in middle overs.

"I mean India will be saying a big thank you because that's what allowed the partnership to flourish because otherwise, if one of the pacers had taken just that one wicket between Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya, then maybe India would have struggled to reach even 17 200," Gavaskar added.

India, without services of their star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, will square off against Nepal in their second Asia Cup 2023 match on Monday (September 4). Rohit Sharma-led team will qualify for the Super-4 if they win against Nepal, today.