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When Abhishek is on song, India will not just win, but dance to victory: Gavaskar
India Today
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2 days ago
Asia Cup 2025, IND vs PAK: Abhishek Sharma scored 74 runs off 34 balls and helped India beat Pakistan in their Super Four clash. Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on the youngster for the stupendous knock.
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00:00
Sonny Gavaskar now joins us live on the program.
00:04
Saiwai, 171, when we looked at it in the mid-innings,
00:08
we thought it was quite a competitive total.
00:11
But then one forgot how good this Indian batting line-up is.
00:15
No total really is that challenging.
00:17
Would you say that even this one,
00:18
which looked a very healthy total that Pakistan had put,
00:21
that India won on a canter?
00:24
Yes, and that's only because they got off to a very good start.
00:27
I kept talking about, you know, the power play.
00:29
And India won that power play convincingly
00:31
with the opening partnership between Amishet and Shubhman Gill.
00:36
Because, you know, they just took the game away from Pakistan.
00:39
If Pakistan had got a wicket or two in that first six overs,
00:42
it would have been tough going for India.
00:44
I'm not saying India wouldn't have got there,
00:46
but the ease with which they got.
00:47
They could afford to lose two, three wickets.
00:49
They could afford to lose Surya Khabar,
00:50
the other way they're captive for a duck,
00:52
and yet end up winning with more than an over to spare.
00:55
It just tells you how, you know,
00:57
when you have depth in batting like you have.
01:00
And that's thanks to the all-rounders.
01:02
Shivam Dubey is an all-rounder.
01:03
Andi Khandi is an all-rounder.
01:04
Akshar Patel is an all-rounder.
01:06
It gives the captain so many options,
01:08
both in batting and bowling.
01:09
So, you know, float the batting order up and down as well.
01:11
So, I mean, just looking at it from India's point of view,
01:20
you mentioned about Surya Kumar Yadav getting out very cheaply.
01:23
I think India's biggest match winner, without doubt,
01:26
in the recent past has been Jaspreet Bumrah.
01:28
He had a very rare off day.
01:30
Kuldeep Yadav is that other one who is a big match winner.
01:33
He showed it to you in the previous two wins
01:35
that India had in the group stages.
01:36
He was your number one performer.
01:38
He had an off day.
01:39
India's fielding, which has always been top-notch,
01:41
was well below par today.
01:43
Everything that could go wrong for them while fielding went wrong,
01:46
and yet they won.
01:48
What does this really signify?
01:50
Is there a huge gulf in the talent, in the skill levels,
01:53
in the class of the two teams at the moment?
01:57
No, I think it's a temperament.
02:00
Both, I mean, these players are super confident.
02:04
They have tremendous confidence in their ability.
02:06
They have tremendous confidence in their teammates
02:08
to pull off the impossible,
02:10
and that is what helps any team to beat the odds,
02:15
and that is what this team did.
02:17
Despite dropping four catches,
02:18
which could have actually cost them maybe another 20, 30 runs,
02:22
the way they came back after the halftime
02:24
and bowled those overs,
02:26
because at halftime, Pakistan was 90, 91,
02:29
for just one wicket down,
02:30
and it looked as if they could possibly,
02:32
with one wicket down, nine wickets,
02:33
and then in the next 10 overs,
02:35
score anywhere between 100, 120,
02:36
and take the score to maybe 200,
02:38
and make the difference 200 plus.
02:40
But that didn't happen because they bowled well,
02:42
those three, four overs after that.
02:44
Yes, the last three overs went for a few,
02:46
but that is what you'd normally expect.
02:48
And the last three overs will be hammered for a few runs.
02:50
That is what you normally expect.
02:51
Sahiba, let's talk about Abhishek Sharma.
02:58
We've seen him now play for India.
03:00
We've seen him play in the IPL.
03:01
We know what we're going to get from him.
03:03
Now, is it fair to say,
03:04
see, again, he'll have some days where he'll fail,
03:07
some days where he'll be outstanding,
03:09
but is it fair to say that the day he's on song,
03:12
no matter what the total,
03:14
India team is chasing it down
03:16
with Abhishek Sharma in their ranks,
03:17
if it's his day?
03:18
The day he's on song,
03:22
the India team is not only going on to win,
03:26
they're going to dance to a win.
03:28
Because when somebody's singing,
03:29
you have to dance, no?
03:30
The others will dance to a win.
03:32
And the crowd will also be dancing in the stands
03:35
with the display of batsmanship that we see.
03:39
Today, both these Punjab guys,
03:40
what a display of batting.
03:42
It was just incredible.
03:44
The way they made it look,
03:45
I mean, the attack was a pretty decent attack from Pakistan,
03:48
but they made it look very, very simple.
03:49
I mean, batting was looking very good.
03:52
The way they were playing shots off the front foot,
03:54
off the back foot, everything.
03:56
And the way Abhishek anticipated
03:58
that having hit Shahid Afridi for a four
04:02
off the front foot in their previous encounter,
04:05
that the first ball would be a short ball.
04:07
Sometimes, you know,
04:08
mentally you have to outthink the bowler.
04:11
And he anticipated it so well,
04:13
that also tells you that this young man
04:15
has got a good cricketing head on his shoulders.
04:21
I'm just trying to look at the difference
04:23
between the two teams, Sai Bai.
04:25
Here you had the top scorer for India,
04:27
Abhishek Sharma.
04:28
For Pakistan, you had Saibzada Farhan.
04:31
Saibzada Farhan reaches his 50
04:33
in about 35 deliveries,
04:36
scoring at a strike rate of 135, 137.
04:39
And that's considered an outstanding performance he celebrates.
04:42
Then there is Abhishek Sharma,
04:44
who reaches in 50
04:45
in a strike rate of better than 200.
04:48
Do you think this is actually telling you
04:50
the difference in terms of
04:52
how the two teams are operating
04:54
and which is now translating into the results as well
04:57
between these two teams?
04:57
Because I think now it's seven games on a trot
05:00
where India have beaten Pakistan.
05:01
Well, there you are.
05:03
I mean, you're talking about
05:04
difference of 10 deliveries
05:05
and getting to half centuries.
05:07
So 10 deliveries,
05:09
the way Indians are scoring,
05:10
you're looking at about
05:11
anywhere between 40 to 60 runs.
05:13
So that's the difference, 40 to 60 runs.
05:16
Saibzada, you know,
05:17
getting his half century in 35 deliveries,
05:20
and Abhishek getting it in 22 deliveries,
05:24
24 deliveries.
05:25
So there it just tells you
05:26
that in those balanced 10 deliveries,
05:28
the difference,
05:29
India would have still scored 40 or 60 runs,
05:31
and then that makes a difference
05:33
between winning and losing.
05:38
So we're talking about,
05:40
you know, the batting
05:41
and they deserve all the praise.
05:43
Let's look at India's bowling.
05:44
It wasn't a great day,
05:45
as I mentioned,
05:46
for let's say a Kuldeep
05:47
or a Jaspreet Bumrah.
05:48
At one point,
05:49
Pakistan seemed to be primed
05:51
to be getting anywhere between
05:52
180 to 200.
05:54
Then comes this spell
05:56
between the 11th and the 17th over,
05:58
that six-over spell,
06:00
where India only concede
06:01
about 36 runs,
06:03
six runs and over,
06:04
and also pick up three wickets.
06:05
Do you think that was the turning point?
06:07
That was the game-changing moment?
06:10
That certainly helped.
06:12
Because, no,
06:13
the game-changing moment,
06:14
don't forget,
06:14
irrespective of what the score was,
06:16
the game-changing would have happened
06:18
when India went into bad empty.
06:20
If they had lost a couple of wickets,
06:21
that would have made a big difference.
06:23
Even if you're chasing,
06:24
say, 150,
06:25
160,
06:26
that would have made a big difference.
06:27
So getting that start was important.
06:30
But what the bowlers did
06:31
to pull Pakistan down
06:33
from that 91-for-1
06:35
to 112-for-4,
06:36
that made a big difference.
06:37
Because suddenly,
06:38
when you lose wickets,
06:39
the new batter who comes in
06:40
doesn't find it easy
06:41
to tonk the ball straight away.
06:43
So even he takes a little time
06:44
to get going,
06:45
and that is where those
06:46
four or five overs
06:48
made a big difference
06:49
between India chasing
06:50
maybe about 190 to 200
06:52
and India chasing 172.
06:58
Okay.
06:59
Saibai,
07:00
in terms of,
07:01
you know,
07:01
this victory,
07:03
do you think,
07:05
you know,
07:05
after all that happened
07:06
in the build-up
07:07
to this particular encounter,
07:09
it'll be an understatement
07:10
if I say
07:11
that it was heated,
07:12
that it was,
07:13
you know,
07:15
it had a bit of a political mark
07:17
as well.
07:17
So clearly,
07:18
there was a lot of hype
07:19
going into this,
07:20
you know,
07:21
encounter per se.
07:23
Would you say
07:23
that at the moment,
07:25
you know,
07:26
plenty of pressure
07:27
is going to be off
07:28
from the minds
07:28
of the Indian players
07:29
because winning this game
07:31
would have been
07:32
probably doubly more important
07:33
than maybe the first game
07:34
that they played
07:35
versus Pakistan?
07:37
Yes,
07:37
you're right.
07:37
I think because
07:38
after all the halabulu
07:39
that happened
07:39
after the first game,
07:41
clearly,
07:42
I think,
07:42
yes,
07:43
the pressure would have been
07:43
on the Indians.
07:44
And then maybe it showed
07:45
while they were on the field
07:46
because,
07:47
you know,
07:47
they dropped relatively
07:48
simple catches.
07:49
There was the odd difficult one,
07:50
of course,
07:51
but the kind of standard
07:52
of fielding that we've seen,
07:53
the difficult ones
07:54
are made to look quite simple
07:55
by the modern generation.
07:59
But,
07:59
yes,
08:00
I think the pressure
08:00
certainly was on the Indians
08:02
to make sure
08:04
that they win this game
08:06
in style
08:06
because all the,
08:08
all the,
08:08
all the,
08:09
you know,
08:10
things that happened
08:10
after,
08:11
after last Sunday,
08:12
they would have built up,
08:13
built up on them.
08:15
And,
08:15
and,
08:15
and,
08:16
and this win
08:17
certainly showed
08:19
that they have the temperament
08:20
to cope with anything.
08:25
Do you think,
08:27
Sanibai,
08:27
some of it spilled over
08:28
on the cricket field?
08:29
We saw,
08:30
you know,
08:31
Saibzada Farman
08:32
with that celebration
08:33
and then
08:34
Haris Rauf
08:35
getting into
08:36
and Aji Baji
08:37
with Abhishek
08:38
and then,
08:38
you know,
08:39
a little later as well.
08:39
Do you think some of that
08:40
spilled over on the field
08:41
or do you think
08:42
this is power for the course
08:43
when it comes to
08:44
an India-Pakistan game?
08:48
Fast bowlers will get
08:49
a little bit touchy
08:51
if they're hammered away
08:52
and so,
08:53
no surprise
08:54
that that happened.
08:55
So,
08:55
no,
08:56
I think that's,
08:56
that's,
08:56
that's pretty normal
08:57
for an India-Pakistan game.
08:59
The odd player
09:00
is going to celebrate
09:01
in a way
09:01
which,
09:02
you know,
09:03
not too many,
09:04
you know,
09:04
from the opposition
09:05
will like.
09:10
I'll take a couple more thoughts,
09:11
Sanibai,
09:12
on the encounter.
09:13
One,
09:13
let's talk about
09:14
Jaspreet Bumrah.
09:15
I can't remember
09:15
him having an off day
09:17
like today
09:17
but if you were
09:18
to analyse
09:19
his performance
09:20
today,
09:21
what would you say?
09:23
Is it just
09:23
one of those
09:25
bad days?
09:26
Because
09:26
it's not about
09:27
conceding runs,
09:28
that can happen
09:28
to any bowlers,
09:29
has happened
09:29
to Bumrah before
09:30
but the one thing
09:31
that you know
09:32
about Bumrah
09:32
that he's always
09:33
on the ball,
09:34
he's always
09:34
very disciplined.
09:35
Today,
09:36
maybe a no ball
09:37
here and there,
09:37
lots of full tosses.
09:39
This was a rare sight,
09:40
would you say?
09:42
Maybe
09:42
because he was playing
09:43
after a gap
09:44
of one week
09:45
that told on him
09:47
but India are
09:48
looking after
09:49
their number one bowler
09:51
and they have to
09:52
because it's
09:53
such a crucial element.
09:54
so maybe
09:55
that one week off
09:56
because he played
09:57
last Sunday
09:58
might have affected
09:59
his rhythm
10:00
and that can happen
10:01
to anybody.
10:02
This is,
10:02
you know,
10:02
this is a game
10:03
where even the
10:04
greatest of players
10:05
have a day off,
10:07
have a bad day
10:08
and let's just hope
10:09
that this is
10:10
the one bad day
10:11
that Bumrah
10:12
has in this tournament.
10:14
final question
10:19
before we let you go.
10:21
There was a bit
10:22
of a controversy
10:23
as it always happens
10:24
between India
10:24
and Pakistan
10:25
about that catch
10:26
of Fakar Zaman.
10:27
You know,
10:28
a lot of fans
10:29
in Pakistan
10:29
alleging that,
10:30
oh,
10:31
that really turned
10:32
the game around.
10:33
Fakar Zaman
10:33
is the number one player.
10:34
If he had carried on,
10:35
you know,
10:36
things could have been different.
10:37
What did you make
10:37
of that catch?
10:38
Out, not out?
10:38
How did you see it?
10:40
It doesn't matter
10:41
whether it was out,
10:42
not out or not.
10:43
If he had scored 100
10:45
and if Pakistan
10:47
had scored 250,
10:48
India would have
10:49
got 251
10:50
maybe in the last fall
10:53
of the 20th hour.
10:53
But India would have
10:54
still won the game.
10:55
Whether it was out
10:56
or not out,
10:57
it doesn't matter.
11:03
Okay,
11:03
we'll leave it at that.
11:04
Thank you,
11:05
Sai Bai,
11:05
for summing up
11:06
that entire encounter.
11:07
India versus Pakistan
11:09
round two
11:10
once again
11:10
has gone
11:11
to the Indian team.
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