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Legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar has raised questions about the bowling changes made by Pakistan captain Babar Azam in their Asia Cup 2023 clash against India in Kandy, Sri Lanka, which was ultimately abandoned due to rain.
Speaking to Sports Tak's Nikhil Naz, Gavaskar expressed that Pakistan's bowling changes were puzzling. Pakistan managed to bowl India out for 266 runs in the first innings, with their pacers claiming all the wickets.
Gavaskar stated, "I think the bowling changes didn't make any sense. If your pace bowlers have taken early wickets, you'd want to keep at least one ongoing from one end. I understand you can't have long spells, but one pacer could have been bowling from one end and perhaps Shadab or Nawaz from the other."
Missed opportunities for Pakistan
He further elaborated that Pakistan missed a trick by not keeping one of their pacers in the attack during the middle overs. This allowed the partnership between Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya to flourish. The duo stitched together a 138-run partnership, setting a new record for India's highest 5th-wicket stand in Asia Cup history.
"That's where Pakistan missed a trick. India will be grateful because that allowed the partnership to grow. If one of the pacers had taken just one wicket between Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya, India might have struggled to even reach 175 or 200," Gavaskar added.
Match outcome and Super 4 qualification
The match between India and Pakistan was eventually called off due to rain in Pallekele. Both teams shared the points, but Pakistan advanced to the Super 4 stage, thanks to their earlier win against Nepal in the Asia Cup 2023.
He also praised the partnership between Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan. "There was, of course, Hardik Pandya at the other end who captained the Gujarat Titans. So he knows exactly you know what situation, how to adjust his game and he was guiding him. So that was a very, very good partnership. Without that partnership, India would have 175 or 200," said Gavaskar.
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