Sunil Gavaskar Critiques Pakistan’s Lack of Intent and Bench Strength Following Champions Trophy Exit
Former Indian cricket great, Sunil Gavaskar, has sharply criticized Pakistan’s performance in the 2025 ICC Men’s Champions Trophy, where the defending champions were eliminated in the group stage, failing to defend their title. Gavaskar, known for his insightful commentary, raised doubts about the current strength of Pakistan’s squad and questioned their approach to key matches.
In a recent interview, Gavaskar expressed concern over Pakistan’s ability to compete at the highest level, suggesting that even India’s second-string team would provide a serious challenge to the current Pakistan lineup. “I believe that even India’s B team would offer a stiff challenge to Pakistan. Given their recent form, it would be very difficult for Pakistan to beat them,” Gavaskar said, underlining the growing disparity between the two teams.
One of the key areas Gavaskar highlighted was Pakistan’s lack of urgency at the crease. He pointed to an early boundary from Mohammad Rizwan as a potential spark for a more aggressive approach, only to be disappointed as the innings progressed. “Mohammad Rizwan hit the first ball of his innings for a four, and I thought we were in for something different. But soon, the batters fell into a pattern of blocking deliveries rather than rotating the strike. The Indian spinners completed their overs swiftly, and it was surprising that Pakistan’s batters didn’t show any sense of urgency,” he noted, emphasizing the lack of proactive intent from Pakistan’s top order.
Further criticizing Pakistan’s cricketing infrastructure, Gavaskar also questioned the country’s inability to build a strong bench strength. While acknowledging that Pakistan has produced talented players, he pointed out that the nation has failed to develop a solid backup of players capable of stepping up when needed. “Pakistan has talented players, but they haven’t been able to build a robust backup. It’s surprising that they have struggled to produce batters like Inzamam-ul-Haq in recent years. Even with the Pakistan Super League (PSL) being played domestically, it hasn’t yielded enough top-quality batters,” he remarked.
Drawing a comparison with India, Gavaskar explained how the Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic cricket, like the Ranji Trophy, have helped nurture a pool of experienced players who can seamlessly transition into the national side. “India benefits from the IPL, where players get exposure and experience, and also from a structured domestic setup like the Ranji Trophy before they step into the international arena. Pakistan needs to reflect on this and figure out why their bench strength isn’t as strong as it once was,” Gavaskar added, pointing to the clear disparity in the development of young talent between the two nations.
Pakistan’s early elimination from the Champions Trophy, a tournament they were both hosting and defending, marked a significant low point for the team. Along with Bangladesh, Pakistan became the first teams to be officially knocked out of the competition, which runs until March 9, 2025. The Green Shirts, who lifted the title in 2017 under Sarfaraz Ahmed’s leadership, began their campaign with a loss to New Zealand. This followed two defeats to the Kiwis in a recent tri-nation ODI series also involving South Africa.
After their opening defeat to New Zealand, Pakistan suffered a second consecutive loss to arch-rivals India. The match saw Virat Kohli lead the Indian side with an outstanding unbeaten century (100*), successfully guiding India to chase down Pakistan’s modest total of 241 runs in Dubai. The early exit has left many questioning the future direction of Pakistan cricket and the need for a significant overhaul to restore the team’s competitiveness at the highest level.
