Team India is in a mandatory quarantine in England to clash with New Zealand in the World Test Championship (WTC) final and then battle it out against the hosts in a five-match red-ball series.
Under MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, India have reached the pinnacle of success by winning the T20 World Cup 2007, ICC Men’s World Cup 2011, reaching the semi-finals of the 50-over World Cup 2019. However, their neighbouring nation Pakistan after emerging victorious during the 2017 Champions League, haven’t been able to replicate their success.
Their leaders have also changed with time as Babar Azam replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed in the limited-overs and Azhar Ali in the longest format of the game as the permanent skipper.
Former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif in an interview pointed out the difference in cricketing culture between the two countries. Latif stated that with the advent of the Indian Premier League (IPL), India relies more on stats and data to prepare players rather than spotting talent with the ‘naked eye.’
“After 2010, Indian cricket has been on the rise, while we have been on a decline. We aren’t able to prepare our coaches scientifically and believe someone’s talent more from their naked eye. IPL has been data-driven in India since 2010 and it has helped them immensely in creating their talent pool. Overseas coaches also helped them a lot,” Latif said on YouTube channel My Master Cricket Coach.
The 52-year-old also explained that India relies more on overseas coaches. In contrast, Pakistan appoints their compatriots for the role and don’t allow them to participate in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
“The former players, as well as overseas coaches, have helped Indian players develop. That has been one main difference between India and Pakistan. We have appointed former Pakistan players as coaches and not many PSL franchises allow them with their team. This has been a huge problem,” Latif concluded.
