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India’s dominant seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 has triggered a wave of criticism from former players, who argue that the contest was far from a high-stakes rivalry. The one-sided nature of the clash, which saw India comfortably chase a modest target, left many experts questioning the quality of the Pakistan team. According to cricket analysts and commentators, the outcome was less a testament to India’s individual brilliance and more a stark reflection of a significant gulf in quality between the two sides.
Irfan Pathan reveals IPL teams that can beat Pakistan in cricket
The decisive victory by India prompted sharp criticism from former all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who believes the gulf in quality between the two cricketing giants is now too vast to ignore.
Speaking on Sony Sports Network, Pathan didn’t mince his words, asserting that even elite domestic teams from India could outplay the Men in Green. “If you ask which of our domestic teams can beat Pakistan, I know for sure Mumbai can beat them. Punjab can beat them,” he stated, naming two specific IPL franchises.
Irfan went even further, adding that a lot of them could defeat Pakistan’s national team, a testament to the depth of talent within India’s cricketing ecosystem. Pathan’s critique extended to Pakistan’s bowling strategy, which he felt was too reliant on spin, failing to provide enough pace to trouble the Indian batters. He highlighted the ineffectiveness of Pakistan’s spinners, who, with the exception of Saim Ayub, struggled to make any impact, unlike India’s balanced and effective attack led by Jasprit Bumrah and backed up by Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
“We were thinking about how to build up the game. Pakistan came with spinners and didn’t have fast bowlers. Their bowling was different, but there was no actual difference. From the start to the end, after winning the toss and batting first to the chase, Pakistan weren’t in the competition at all. India were playing versus India and it was more of a practice match for the future,” Pathan concluded.
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A contest deemed as a ‘practice match’ for India
Former Mumbai cricketer Abhishek Nayar echoed Irfan Pathan’s sentiments, suggesting the high-profile match was a formality for India from the very start. Nayar observed that Pakistan’s bowling strategy, which saw them enter the contest without a full-strength fast-bowling attack, was an early sign that they were not prepared for a true contest. “We were thinking about how to build up the game. Pakistan came with spinners and didn’t have fast bowlers. Their bowling was different, but there was no actual difference,” Nayar said.
Nayar was unequivocal in his assessment, stating that Pakistan “were not in the competition at all,” from their decision to bat first to their uninspired performance in the chase. Nayar concluded that India’s comfortable seven-wicket victory, achieved with 25 balls to spare, made the game look like a practice match. “If India were playing versus India, and it was more of a practice match for the future,” he remarked, encapsulating the one-sided nature of the affair and the lack of fight from the Pakistani side.
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