Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has slammed Pakistani batters, saying they are nowhere near Indian batters’ class as he witnessed Salman Agha-led side post a non-threatening score in T20 Asia Cup 2025 match. While Saim Ayub was dismissed for a golden duck by Hardik Pandya, Ashwin said that the young opener is the only batter who has any class.
Ashwin pointed out how Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma tackled Pakistan bowlers. The 38-year-old ripped apart Mohammad Haris approach against Jasprit Bumrah, leading to a single-digit score.
“Apart from Saim Ayub, I don’t think the Pakistan team has any class. If we compare the batting of both sides, Abhishek Sharma stepped out first ball, used his feet against Shaheen Shah Afridi," Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“In stark comparison, Mohammad Haris was rooted in crease trying to heave Jasprit Bumrah across the line and the ball went straight up. You cannot play such a shot against Bumrah; this isn’t the Oman team.
“You can hit bowlers like that, but it isn’t the same here. Pakistan have also been tactically very, very poor. Even Hasan Nawaz was looking to hit without any foot movement. Look at Tilak Varma instead, he played the reverse sweep, scored through the off side and played the slog sweep," he added.
Pakistan lost six wickets for 64 runs in 13 overs. After Sahibzada Farhan's sluggish 44-ball 40, it was Shaheen Afridi's unbeaten 16-ball 33 feature four sixes that took Pakistan to 127/9 and prevented them from getting bowled out.
Ashwin sings Abhishek’s praises
Ashwin further lauded Abhishek for thwarting Afridi’s plan to pitch it fuller and beat him with the swing. He feels that Afridi lacked the homework to counter the young Indian opener.
“Abhishek Sharma stepped out first ball against Shaheen Shah Afridi, because he knows he is going to bowl full to him to try and extract swing. But has Afridi seen Abhishek in the IPL to know that he might step out?" Ashwin questioned.
Pakistan's next match is against UAE on September 17 in Dubai. They need a win to qualify for the Super Four stage.