India's T20 competition is against Australia or England, not Pakistan: Harbhajan Singh

India Today

Harbhajan Singh, while speaking exclusively to India Today, said that India's competition in T20s is with the likes of Australia, England or South Africa and not Pakistan after beating them in the Asia Cup final. Harbhajan feels that the gap with Pakistan is big at the moment.

Transcript

00:00I'm coming to you live from Dubai and joining us is another legend in Harbhajan Singh.

00:05Harbhajan, firstly, many congratulations to you as well.

00:07What a stunning performance by the Indian team,

00:10the only team that has remained undefeated in this entire tournament

00:14and have now been crowned champion.

00:17My first question to you is that during this tournament,

00:21you had a situation where the Indian captain, Surakumar Yadav,

00:24came and said that, listen, India-Pakistan is no rivalry.

00:27He had said that, today, if India could not go across the line,

00:32that statement would have come and haunted the Indian team.

00:35You are glad that this statement that was made by the Indian team

00:39was not just said in a press conference, they've shown it on the field as well.

00:42Three times you've played Pakistan, all three times you've won here.

00:47Well, I think he made the right statement out there.

00:50You know, there is no competition between India and Pakistan.

00:53India is way above than Pakistan in all aspects, not just in cricket.

00:57So, obviously, if you see the record, you know, the recent record shows that

01:03India have won, you know, almost all the games.

01:08Last 10 games, if you see, India must have won 9 games out of 10,

01:12which goes on to show there is no rivalry.

01:15So, Suria was right, even though, you know, even today was a tough game,

01:18you know, but credit to the boys out there, someone like that who had a very, very calm mind

01:25on his shoulders and he kept going, you know, taking those small, small ticks along the way

01:34and making sure, you know, he's there till the end.

01:37And, you know, this is how you win matches, this is how you win tournament, you know,

01:43goes on to show that how well prepared are the Indian team is, you know, forget about

01:48what Pakistan did in this competition.

01:51But here, it was just the competition between India versus India, you know, how well India can play.

01:58You know, if India played to 60% of their potential, no team would come close to India.

02:06So, today, I think India was slightly on the edge in the first six-over, but, you know,

02:13great to see, you know, youngsters lifting the burden on their shoulder and taking the team through.

02:20So, this is what India is all about, you know, they'll fight till the end

02:24and in the end, they'll become winners.

02:26So, well done, Team India, Tila, Dube and everyone, you know, I think they were all outstanding

02:32and especially Kundi Vyadavis were beautiful.

02:39That was going to be my next question, Harvajan.

02:42It's a tough fight as to who, according to you, is the player of the tournament.

02:46There is, on one hand, there is an Abhishek Sharma

02:49and it's going to be tough for you to answer because, on one hand,

02:51you have an Abhishek Sharma who comes from the same state as you,

02:55has been very consistent with the bat.

02:56But, on the other hand, you have a fellow spinner in Kundi Vyadav

03:00who is the highest six-wicket taker for India,

03:02has been consistent, performed in the final as well with four wickets.

03:06If you had to pick for India, the player of the tournament,

03:09who are you going for and why?

03:10It's going to be a tough one for me as well.

03:13I would love to choose Abhishek and Kuldeep both

03:17because they both have done so well.

03:21But, you know, looking at today's performance,

03:23Kuldeep, I think he has got that edge

03:25in taking 17 wickets or more than that

03:28in one single tournament.

03:30You know, goes on to show that how consistent he was

03:33and how beautifully he bowled even today.

03:37And, you know, he was the difference in the end.

03:40You know, in all the games, whenever he came to bowl,

03:43things changed for India.

03:44So, you know, taking those four wickets today

03:46for 30-odd runs, you know, I think

03:48not a man of the match, if not a man of the match today,

03:51but definitely he's my player of the tournament.

03:58What would you say about the celebrations by Jaspreet Bumrah?

04:02There has been a lot of, you know,

04:04aji-baji, a lot of heated moments

04:06between India, Pakistan in this entire Asia Cup.

04:09Jaspreet Bumrah also joining in.

04:11What would you make of his celebrations today?

04:14Which one, Nikhil?

04:19Which celebration?

04:20I don't know if you saw,

04:21when he picked up the wicket of Haris Rauf,

04:25he gestured with that jet going down sort of action.

04:30Oh, yeah, I've seen that.

04:33I think, you know, it's like, you know,

04:35what Haris Rauf did on the field,

04:40it was, you know, the similar way,

04:43you know, what Jesse is showing him,

04:44you know, this is how we do it.

04:47And getting him out and, of course,

04:50showing his own kind of celebration of whatsoever,

04:53you know, whatever he was doing out there.

04:56So, we have won on both the fields,

04:59on the field of sports.

05:02India have always, always won.

05:04Yes, that's exactly, Arvajan,

05:10what the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

05:12has also put on the social media platform X.

05:15Now, I want you to answer this question as an Indian fan,

05:18not as a former player,

05:20not as a cricketer,

05:22but, you know, you have seen,

05:24you are a World Cup winner yourself,

05:26you've seen India win many tournaments,

05:28even after you retired,

05:29T20 World Cups, Champions Trophy,

05:3250-over World Cups,

05:32you've seen all of that.

05:34Asia Cup is never put in that bracket

05:36as an ICC tournament.

05:38But would you say that this particular win

05:40in Asia Cup is special

05:42because of all the things that happened around it

05:44and that's why, probably,

05:46we are seeing fans across India celebrating as much

05:49because it's a special, special win?

05:52Yeah, whenever you play against Pakistan,

05:54it becomes a special, big game, big occasion.

05:57And, of course, what all happened in the recent past,

06:01obviously, the memories are very, very fresh

06:04and, of course, people are very upset.

06:05We all are upset what has happened there in Pelagam.

06:09And, of course, after that,

06:11you know, everybody was talking about

06:12whether India should be playing cricket with them or not.

06:15And there were different views on that.

06:17But beating them on any field,

06:21it is a great, great satisfaction.

06:23And, of course, you know,

06:26what all happened before that,

06:28you know, it was a very sad moment for all of us.

06:31But now people do feel that

06:32it is kind of, you know,

06:34they feel satisfied, you know,

06:36after Team India winning this Asia Cup.

06:41So, well, it's always going to be a big game against Pakistan.

06:45So, I think, you know,

06:48sentiments were very, very high before this game.

06:52And, you know,

06:53the whole India was praying for India to win.

06:55And I'm so glad that Team India could win it

06:58and dedicate those people who lost their lives

07:02and, of course,

07:04of course, to all the Indian fans as well.

07:10Pakistan aside, Harbhajan,

07:12because, you know, you've beaten Pakistan now

07:14three games in a row in this entire tournament.

07:16Let's take a look at world cricket at the moment.

07:19This team under Surya Kumar Yadav,

07:21I think their record is, if I'm not mistaken,

07:2336 is to 3 or 35 is to 3

07:25since the start of 2024.

07:27They've won 35.

07:28T20 has lost only 3.

07:30That's an enviable record.

07:32Is it fair to say that at the moment,

07:34forget the Asian subcontinent

07:36or the Asian continent,

07:38across the world,

07:39Indian, this Indian T20 team

07:41is probably setting a benchmark,

07:43the best that there is in the world?

07:45Oh, definitely.

07:46I think they have done tremendously well

07:51in South Africa.

07:51They were there.

07:52And I think they played outstanding cricket there.

07:56And beating South Africa and South Africa,

07:57it's not easy.

07:58And this young team actually have it in them.

08:02They're a very talented bunch of guys

08:03and more they will play,

08:05they will learn a lot.

08:06And of course,

08:06I can see the maturity,

08:08you know,

08:08already is there in someone like Tillak,

08:11you know,

08:11this kind of an inning.

08:13You don't get it,

08:14you know,

08:14from a youngster like Tillak.

08:16But you see that

08:17there's a method behind it,

08:19you know,

08:19how he plays his inning,

08:21how he,

08:21you know,

08:22take that inning far.

08:23And I'll definitely say that

08:27this team probably have

08:28have earned that place

08:31right there

08:32up the mark.

08:34In the international cricket,

08:36at the moment,

08:36you know,

08:37our Indian team

08:38is definitely

08:39at the top of the table,

08:42you know.

08:42And if at all,

08:43there are any team

08:44in competition

08:45as Australia or England,

08:46as I mentioned earlier,

08:47or South Africa,

08:48but North Pakistan,

08:49for sure.

08:50I think the difference

08:51is there a lot.

08:57Okay,

08:57on that positive note,

08:59Harbhajan,

08:59thank you so much

09:00for joining us

09:01live on India today,

09:02right after India's victory

09:04here at the Asia Cup.

09:05Thank you so much

09:06for sharing those

09:07deep insights with us

09:08when it comes to

09:09India's performance here

09:10in this tournament

09:11and overall

09:12how this Indian T20 team

09:14has been setting

09:15a new benchmark

09:16internationally.

09:17As Harbhajan Singh said there,

09:19I don't think

09:19you're competing

09:20with any Asian team

09:21at the moment.

09:21At best,

09:22maybe in Australia,

09:23to an extent South Africa,

09:24to an extent England,

09:26but that's about it.

09:28Even against those teams,

09:29India have shown you

09:30as the current

09:31T20 champions

09:32that they are

09:33clearly the best team

09:34in the world.

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