One of Pakistan’s cricket team selectors, Aaqib Javed, revealed that the current Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir asked him about the current state of cricket in the nation. The last 12 months have been tough for Pakistan. They’ve seen multiple captains, coaches, chiefs, and selectors come and go. The USA knocked them out of the T20 World Cup 2024 in June, and just last month, Bangladesh beat them 2-0 in Test cricket.
Aaqib, who played 185 matches for Pakistan and is one of their most successful ODI bowlers, revealed that Gambhir met him during India’s tour of Sri Lanka. The pacer revealed that Gambhir couldn’t fathom what was going on in Pakistan cricket despite the country’s lack of talent. “Gambhir asked me what has happened to Pakistan cricket despite so much talent and everything; what is happening?” the current PCB selector said on a podcast.
Gambhir ‘sorry’ about the state of Pakistan cricket
The pacer described how there are just a handful of top teams remaining in cricket and that India vs Pakistan matches continue to provide the biggest thrill in world cricket. However, such has been the decline of Pakistan cricket that the rivalry has lost its charm.
“He (Gambhir) also feels sorry about it, because there are a few (top-level) teams, and the Pakistan vs India matches provide the biggest thrill. So if your team (Pakistan) falls like that, then one of the game’s biggest matches loses its charm.”