Ahead of the much-anticipated Asia Cup 2025 match, former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth has tore into Pakistan's batting and bowling unit. Srikkanth believes Pakistan is a 'below average side with bat and ball' and will be no match for India in the upcoming encounter.
Srikkanth slams Pakistan’s 'below average' batting and bowling unit ahead of IND vs PAK showdown
He was particularly unimpressed with Pakistan's recent 93-run victory against Oman, a team he jokingly referred to as being "full of uncles." Srikkanth stated that Pakistan's true test will be against the young and formidable Indian side. He praised India's batting lineup, asserting that Pakistan's is no match in comparison. His confidence in the Indian team is bolstered by their recent performance, having won 25 of their last 28 T20I matches, which includes their triumph at the T20 World Cup 2024.
"Pakistan is a below average side with bat and ball. Even Shaheen Afridi isn't anything deadly. Yes they beat an Oman side full of players above 34-35. That team is full of uncles. So beating them shows nothing. At my age, even I can captain Oman now. Even their bowling looked good against the Oman uncles. But we have to see how it is against Indian youngsters," Srikkanth said on YouTube.
"Mohammad Haris scored yesterday but his hitting range is limited to only square leg and mid-wicket. Against Varun Chakravarthy's bowling, he'll hit a six and then sky one to get out. Likewise, Fakhar Zaman will be done in by Kuldeep Yadav. The Indian batting lineup in comparison is in a different league. Guys like Shubman Gill are at a different level. There is no comparison between the sides when it comes to batting," India's 1983 World Cup-winning member added.
Srikkanth also expressed his displeasure with the recent comments made by Pakistan's coach Mike Hesson. Srikkanth took issue with Hesson's assertion that Mohammad Nawaz is the best spinner in the world.
Furthermore, the 65-year-old criticised Hesson's coaching record, noting that teams he has coached have generally underperformed. He even attributed Saim Ayub's dismissal against Oman to
"He keeps making bold statements. Whatever team he has coached has never done well. He coached RCB and they won nothing at that time. How are Pakistan going to do well under his coaching? He would have just asked them to throw their bats at the ball with courage. Yesterday the way Saim Ayub got out, I knew it was Mike Hesson's influence. Mike Hesson must have batted like that only," Srikkanth concluded.
After beating Oman in their Asia Cup 2025 campaign opener, Pakistan will now take on India on September 14.