February 24, 2025 • 41 mins
How disappointed were you on Sunday? Whether you were a Pakistan fan or an Indian fan, and whether or not you enjoyed Virat Kohli's masterclass, you must have felt a tinge of sadness watching cricket's biggest rivalry turn into a one-sided affair. Once fierce competitors, Pakistan have now become India's punching bags.
The Champions Trophy 2025 match in Dubai was a prime example. At no point did Pakistan look threatening. With the bat, they were timid against an Indian attack that wasn't even at its best. Captain Mohammad Rizwan played an outdated brand of ODI cricket, and Pakistan paid the price. None of their batters showed urgency, appearing overawed by the occasion and the flamboyance of the Men in Blue.
What's hurting Pakistan cricket?
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli silenced his critics yet again. The batting great delivered a flawless knock of 100 from 111 balls, dismantling his favourite foes. However, Indian cricket fans should remain cautious-tougher tests await their batting superstar.
In the latest episode of The Sledging Room podcast, Akshay Ramesh, Kingshuk Kusari, and Alan John dissect the India vs Pakistan snoozefest and review the first week of the Champions Trophy 2025.
Tune in!
Produced by Garvit Srivastava
Sound mix by Rohan Bharti
The Champions Trophy 2025 match in Dubai was a prime example. At no point did Pakistan look threatening. With the bat, they were timid against an Indian attack that wasn't even at its best. Captain Mohammad Rizwan played an outdated brand of ODI cricket, and Pakistan paid the price. None of their batters showed urgency, appearing overawed by the occasion and the flamboyance of the Men in Blue.
What's hurting Pakistan cricket?
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli silenced his critics yet again. The batting great delivered a flawless knock of 100 from 111 balls, dismantling his favourite foes. However, Indian cricket fans should remain cautious-tougher tests await their batting superstar.
In the latest episode of The Sledging Room podcast, Akshay Ramesh, Kingshuk Kusari, and Alan John dissect the India vs Pakistan snoozefest and review the first week of the Champions Trophy 2025.
Tune in!
Produced by Garvit Srivastava
Sound mix by Rohan Bharti
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is India Today Podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
You are on India Today Podcasts and you are in
the Sledging Room. Let me warn you this is not
a place for the faint hearted and the weak need.
If you're a sports poff and like challenging everything you
see and hear, stay, If you're a sooner bodyatya fan,
walk away.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Right now, the big India Pakistan game in the Champions
trophe is over and I'm gonna go a little off
track here. Guys Alan and Kangshukov joined me on this
(00:49):
latest episode of Sledging Room. You know, in twenty sixteen,
I think twenty sixteen, during the Olympics, I was covering
the shift here only and there were was a film
Ruzinkan film called Kabali which had humongous hype like that
was probably his first association with one of the you know,
(01:10):
major film directors, one of the new new modern era
film directors. And I argued with my previous boss that
I need and off between the Olympics or just after
the Olympics when the coverage was a little busier, and
I booked a seven am or a AM show. There
were early morning shows here. Also, the hype was unimaginable,
(01:31):
you know. And then I finished shift at twelve and
then did not sleep, thinking that I'd missed Alarm.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
And then I went and watched that film.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
When I came out, you know, I felt like how
I felt yesterday, evening, the disappointment of, you know, something
not living up to the hype so much, you know,
that kind of I could feel that yesterday. I felt like,
why did we write so many things? Why did we
talk about so many things despite warnings? I said, like,
we had a guest column which said that this rivalry shit,
(02:02):
don't fall for the hype, and it was one more
evidence of why this rivalry is gone. Listen, Snlaaskar, who
spoke to us yesterday, said that even asn't like someone
who has been part of the rivalry, he's saying it's
become a no contest. Now do you agree with that?
As in like as in like agree as in what
(02:23):
do you have to say?
Speaker 4 (02:25):
I completely agree with that notion, because you know, there
was a time, even when we were writing that column
about our favorite moments, that two thousand and three match
when Sithan scored the hundred Powersan posted somewhere around two
seventy that was a very challenging and you could feel
the tension in those matches, right because they had a
bowling attack that had schoi buglers and was now when
(02:51):
you look at it, it is but sorry to interrupt
you there, but yesterday also they had these three people, right, yeah,
nineties nineties bowlers that nineties Yeah what nineties? If those
nineties bowlers actually hear it, I'm very sorry to say,
they might catch a bus and come and beat him up.
You look at the bowling attack now was Makrem stated
(03:13):
a very interesting fact. I was looking at his pre
post match comments. He said that Pakistan have the second
worst average amongst fourteen teams that have played Odeas this
year sixty and they are worse in a group that
actually contains USA and Oman. No offense to them, but
they are obviously minos when it is compared to everybody.
(03:35):
So you have that kind of uh, you have that
kind of a bowling.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Attack that was toothless.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Yeah, shainha free. They produce one moment of magic. Abara
Rahmat produced one moment of magic. What else was there?
There was nothing, There was no planning, nothing, And I'm
very sorry to say I would actually tell ICC. Please
don't group India and Pakistan together in a the same pool.
That's the funniest part. That's the funniest part, because yeah,
(04:03):
you do it for the ticket grabs. What what what
what are the fans getting? Pakistan fans are crying on
one side saying that we are spending money, we are
wasting our time for this. There is no contest. They
have accepted defeat long time back. Don't do this anymore.
That is my plea to the i c C. Because
it's it's just done. It's just done. You have you
have had Superman will come and defend it. None of
(04:25):
the Pakistan players or anybody said it because they were
probably probably were sure, but they probably were done.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
But yeah, this.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Contest it's done.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
That rivalry is over.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
India's rivals right now are probably Australia or New Zealand,
South Africa, those kinds of big teams. India is way
out of the Pakistan league. I would even say Sri
Lanka is a bigger rival in Asia than Pakistan right now.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
You don't have to put even for Sri Lanka. Yeah,
one of the yeah before comes into.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
You know, I would to give our listeners and viewers
a little bit of context of what happened yesterday and
why are we so you know, upset about all this.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Pakistan opted to.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Bat first on a toss was won by his one
and that's the only thing probably won, not not even
dilgy that at the end of the day. So I
think after batting first on that that was a big
advantage for them. But they managed to post to forty one,
one hundred and fifty two dog balls in three hundred balls.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
That's kind of one of and A said.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
We did a copy where I saw you fan Pakistan
fan saying this cricket belongs to the stone Age, not
even to the nineties, one hundred and fifty two DoD
balls posting two forty one. And once they posted two
forty one, you were in no doubt that India could
get there, Like even if they had lost early wickets,
even if their nineties fast bowlers had stuck early, two
forty one was always going to be chased, right, and
(05:50):
India eventually chased it. And the icing on the cake
was a ver Art Coalie hundred to this Verat Kolie,
who was you know, people said so many things about
him that he doesn't he has probably lost the urges.
Probably he can't correct his technical issues and all that.
We'll come to that later. But to make it short,
his one hundred was icing on the cake as India
(06:11):
finished with like forty five balls remaining. Yeah, that's the
part that I wanted to, you know, make it clear
before our sal Why am i Salman Aliaga and good
player today? Right right?
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (06:23):
And finished they go in Mamadrizwan's immortal words, yat win yato.
Learn so and learn from India, learn from this game.
Stop fielding teams in icy tournaments and just like sort
yourself out and and and come back. My biggest problem
is actually with the hype that that the broadcasters built
around these matches. And I keep comparing cricket with football.
(06:46):
If in football, FIFA were to put Brazil and Argentina
in one group in every single World Cup, you would
have massive outrage asking questions about the FIFA matters.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Context is a little different. It's not different.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
It's too sporting tunas where teams play. See football is
a game that is run, is an actual game. It's
it's no it's run. You know in so many countries.
It has the power to generate money from so many
countries cricket maximum six eight nine. But even like so,
you have to pull them together, especially when they're not
(07:19):
playing bilateral series. I don't have a problem with that,
but that hype as and even people are expecting it.
It's not the problem with the hype, it's, you know,
the problem with not living up to the hype, the
problem with Pakistan not contributing.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Okay, so would it not.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Be better if you were to pull in India and
Australian one group and have two cracker of a match
two cracker games, one in group stage one later in
the final. Organizers also have this doubt, what if there
is no India Pakistan gave in an ICC tournament, you
pull Pakistan in the other group, inevitably they don't advance.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
What will happen then?
Speaker 4 (07:54):
But then if they're facing India. You know, just like
how King shuk said about football. You know there are
certain matches in football that ends in two to one.
The score line might be too one, but you are
very very sure that one team was very dominant over
the other. I think even if the game, whatever the
hype was yesterday, it was absolutely one sided. You said
(08:16):
one fifty one dog balls. I think Pakistan has played
more than three hundred dog balls in two matches combined.
That is equal to one match, actually one match in
dots like what is like? What is the standard? Okay,
we were covering the match. We were actually saying that,
you know, when Virakoli and kale Rawhul's innings was criticized
during the World Cup final when he was not showing
(08:38):
intent and we were we actually came to the conclusion
that this Pakistan innings was worse than that. This is
a bowling attack without Boomrah. You are half fit, Shami
Shami had to go out, who's playing his first ICC tournament.
You could not Are you saying that you could not
rotate your strike against these kinds of bowlers.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
And my biggest problem with that thing that Pakistan team
is that they have been playing cricket since cricket started
right Afghanistan, who probably got to hold the bat for
the first time in the mid two thousands, have a
better approach to playing white ball games than Pakistan. And
I don't know how is that even possible Because these
(09:19):
guys do play T twenty leagues outside, these guys do
represent their country in top games. They have a good
domestic system. What has gone wrong in Pakistan management country
and in the team that they comfortably look the worst
team in any tournaments that they have played in in
the last three years.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
That's my thing because I.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
Think when we were doing the preview episode also I
said that I have full believed that Pakistan is going
to go out of the group stasis. There is no
X factor in this team. You had one X factor.
That was him. I got injured. Unfortunate, got injured, he
was out. Zaman a veteran faker. Zaman is your X factor.
He got injured in the second board. Okay, that is
(10:02):
also unfortunate. But what about other players? You are banking
on other players. You're banking on a guy like Barbaras
to his credit. I A small credit that I would
give is that Barbara Sam tried yesterday. I don't see
the criticism coming out. At least he tried in some
way or the other to give Pakisan a good start,
which was not there with Imam. Imam was like almost
(10:23):
thrown into the deep end right from the get go.
He has not played oday for almost a year. He
was out of the team. Now you're bringing back bringing
him back into the side. And then you have got
guys who Saud Shakil is a very good Test player,
but he does not have the ability to hit big shots.
That was pretty evident yesterday. He was tried, he tried
(10:43):
one big shot, he got caught up. And then you
don't you don't bring in a spinner. You have got
guys like Fahim Usman Khan, who you are not going
to be playing in any of the matches, then why
not bring in a spinner. Why not add an extra
spinner to help Abra Abra did trouble India that ball.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
To Schumann Gil.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
I think if you could see the reaction of Rakoli,
he was a little scared. Oh this guy is gonna do.
He produced probably the ball one of the deliveries of
the tournament.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Now what are we going to do?
Speaker 4 (11:16):
If he had support from the other end, it could
have been a contest yesterday. Could have been a contest yesterday.
But apart from that, they were raving about how Akibjawe
was raving about our fast bawlers. That is our strength
in white ball cricket. Your your main fastballer, shayanha Free.
They got hit for seventy four runs Rakoli targeted your
pacers and they were out. They were completely out. Their
(11:39):
body language was not good. They did not show anything
off the pitch after that one over where he got
hit for a six and four by ro Schama did
not produce anything from that match. So what is wrong
with Pakistan is probably they don't even know what is
their best team. Who are they going to bank? Do
they have a domestic circuit at all? Is that even
(12:02):
existing at the moment, because the whole pundits that are there,
the former players are saying that the domestic cricket is
dead because nobody gets a chance to play in this team.
There are seven eight players who are sticking. They keep
on sticking with these players. They never produce the results.
And as King Chuk said.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
They did that Champions Cup thing. Remember right before this tournament,
they pulled in five mentors, spent an exhorbitant amount of money.
I think nine hundred million dollars if I'm not wrong,
and they brought these players together these figures.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
I think so nine hundred million.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
I remember, I'm not sure if it's Pakistani rupia in dollars.
I think it's not to be very specific about it,
it's whatever like maybe we can like just like put
a figure in there in search Pakistan GDP and then
oh it's not right. No, you have to be you
have to get the facts right because when they renovated
the stadiums, it was said they spent around seventeen billion million,
(12:58):
billions billion billion, so that when we saw it was rupees,
it was not dollars.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
So you have to be very specific. That makes sense.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
I we'll just may put it under the star mark whatever.
So what am I saying, you killed my train of
that man?
Speaker 3 (13:11):
Yeah? Maybe maybe Champion Cup.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
No, maybe this is what happens in the Pakistan selection meeting,
you know, like somebody says something, somebody else says something,
things get lost in translation, and they make a squad
which is not even not even you know, like any
side for the tradition becomes even more difficult if you
have an English speaking foreign coach.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
So you know.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
I am not no, but but you know what when
when when Barber was the captain, all you Barber haters said, oh,
Barber's friends are being played. Barber has his own a
but now with Rizwan, who was looked at as a savior,
Risan's fland friends are being played enough. I much of Kaiya,
who is why why did Imam get out in the
(13:53):
first place. Why did fucker someone get dropped in the
first place. You knew that fucker someone is your only
X factor player. Not only did you drop from the contract,
you let him out of all your teams, and just
before the Champions Trophy you brought him back because Sime
was injured. My problem is, it's not if you have
to stoke the India Pakistan rivalry again.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
It has to you know, it has to be you
have to you have to get.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Pakistan back to where they were, or at least back
to the stage in early twenty tents where they were
still able to you know, the Miss Bairah whereas where
they were still able to make it watchable. But after
that it has been like if you call the twenty
twenty one T twenty world up the undoing of their
T twenty side, the highs of the T twenty side
which got into their head, and they never played, you know,
(14:37):
they never tried to get used to the changing pace
of the TREE twenty cricket. The twenty seventeen Champions Trophy
can be you know, pinpointed at a similar moment for
the audios. Since then, they have been very particular about
retaining their rankings. They've been very particular about in retaining
their stats. If you look at the way they have
played every other team experiments in bilateral series, right, England
(14:59):
don't care about whether they win or not. Benduckett came
and said, we don't care if we win in India
or not. Our ultimate team is to win the champions Shophee.
While we ridicule that statement, while a lot of us
it made sense because if you look at it, he said,
we are not worried about the results here.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
We want to get things right.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
And even Rochama says that when you make those, you know,
weird additions, when Baraka is brought in in the last moment,
it's all part of you know, whether it works for
me or not.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
But Pakistan take pride in winning these bilateral series.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Look at the way they won in Australia against the
second string Austilian team. Look at the way they won
in South Africa against the second team South Africa team,
and that gives a false sense of superiority that we
are going to dominate this tournament. And when you lose
the first two at home, and when you're on the
brink of elimination. See, humiliation is a very strong word
which shouldn't be associated with sport. But with Pakistan's performance
(15:51):
this time, I think it's it's borderline humiliation. For if
I am a Pawistan cricket fan and I am sitting
and you are you winning green, I'm wearing it to
respect the great players who played for parison, not for
the current crop. When I'm sitting and watching that Mahmadriswan
press conference and him coming out and saying, yeah, it
is almost done.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
It's over. It's said it's over, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
It's over, that kind of shows the entire camp. He said,
there are we are going to be fifteen captains. They
are playing like fifteen captains. Each player has his own agenda.
Each player comes into the field having his own agenda.
And then you come out and say that, yeah, we
are done, We're done here. That is that is disappointing.
(16:34):
That is that's the truth. Probably for the first time
in the tournament, you've spoken truth. But do you really
want to, like, if you are going to make that
statement and look defeated throughout the matches, then give a
bye for everybody else. No, we would be saved of
all these work that we are trying to do. Others
will be saved of just wasting time and going to
the grounds and watching the match or sitting in at
(16:57):
home and watching the match.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
After all this, but qualify for the final and win
the Yeah, that's what I was.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
That Championship is a weird tournament as we still they
go to Zealand are facing Bangladesh. If Banglades beat New
Zealand by a big margin and then Pakistan beat Bangladesh
and then India beat New Zealand, then Pakistan can go through.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
But it's a mathematical equation. And then there is.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
Rain also predicted there is rain where Pakistan was as Bangladesh.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
So it's as improbable as me winning some an Olympic
gold or something. But can you never know? There is
archie in twenty thirty sports now you might. You could
know archery in twenty thirty six, there's no we have
seen forty year old archers going there and winning, right, Yeah,
so like, but will you make that cutoff in time
forty year old next Olympics thirty six? Yeah, but we
(17:44):
have straying too too far away from the But yeah,
it's kind of very asn't like at one point you
feel sad for Pakistan, right, No, no, no, it's your owndoing.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
It's your OWND doing. What have you done?
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Like you said twenty seventeen, you win the champions things
get to your see you you can't look at it
from the cricket point of view, then what point of view?
There is a lot of political instability there. Every time
a government changes, a PCV chief comes, a PCV chief
is appointed by the Prime Minister.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Which still is their own doing. But yes, there.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Are certain things that you need to cut. They have
not played international cricket at home for like what like
for fifteen years. That'sn't like it's it was cut off
in two thousand and nine and it came back to
you know, high profile international kid only in twenty twenty
nineteen that time, so it kind of you know, when
they played their first few Test matches, even the home
players were not aware of the conditions because they had
(18:37):
never played there. Right, they never played international cricket there.
And the domestic structure is also a problem, like you
pointed out the Champions Cup. Every time Pakistan have to
fix something, the new guy comes in and he has
to show that he's working. Instead of, you know, probably
getting the domestic tournaments back on track, you introduce a
new tournament with five flashy head coaches and all that, which.
Speaker 3 (18:58):
Is kind of the problem. Right.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
They don't have a stable set up like the BCCI, Right,
So I don't know if there's no quick fix, you
can only rely on miracles like Theaman one hundred in
the Champions Trophy, or the Momarami spell in the twenty
seventeen Champions Sophie, or the way Shin Bold in the
But if you look at consistent success, which is something
(19:21):
you know that is you know, evaded Pakistan in the
last few years. But coming back to Ratkoli, honestly, tell
me Alan and King Shuk, did any.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
Of you think that he'll get these runs? Honestly?
Speaker 4 (19:35):
I think with the the the discussions being around how
Watkoli has not done well against Pin, the surprise to
me was if you noticed yesterday's game, that final boundary
he hit of Kushtil was his only boundary against Spin.
And he said that in his post match interview as well,
(19:58):
that my whole approach was that I I'm going to
target the pacers and I am going to be very
very careful against spinners.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
That was a very good tweak.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
Obviously does not work every single time you go against
a different team who has better quality, that might not
that approach might not make. He did not work against
Bangladesh who had a better bullying attack, better attack at
least a better spin attack. But he made that tweak
and that was a very conscious effort from him. And
he also stuck to the thing where he was going
(20:27):
to attack pacers and he did that also. So for me,
that was a big surprise, that tweak that he made.
When I wrote about it, I said that probably Virat
should try to sweep the spinners like how he did
in the IPL twenty twenty four season, which was successful
for him. That was the one thing that I was
quite surprised by. But yeah, Wrath has always stepped up
(20:47):
against Pakistan. Pakistan have almost become like that team where
Viiratkoli always steps up and he delivers those ruts regardless
of whatever form he is in. And that was what
Harmazonzing also said. He said, my bold prediction is that
will score one hundred. I don't know if he's done
the Bangra yet because he has promised that also, But
(21:10):
the fact is against Pakistan, Viratkoli is almost inevitable.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
That is what happens.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Probably we're not might right to the ICC right every
match give series against Yeah, but you know, like that's
actually a great thing that you say, Like Pakistan's biggest
lesson from yesterday's game is perhaps the Verratkol innings. A
person with fourteen thousand odo runs fifty one centuries now
fifty two fifty one fifty one centuries keeps reinventing himself
(21:38):
under criticism that something Pakistan have never done. Since the
time I started following Pakistan cricket. It's the same people
at the top. It's the same approach at the top,
and they just continue to defend themselves and their process
all the time. Virat also does that a lot of time.
We'rerat has snapped at people saying that my process, my process.
(22:00):
But every time you see that his career hits a
traff goes back to Bombay practices with banger quarks on
his short ball. Here went to the training ninety minutes ahead.
People said. Anil Kumle said that maybe he's doing a
little too much. Worked for him, worked for him, did
something different and walk from Well.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
The best thing was when I was watching that with
Rathkoli innings, he kept on rotating the strike. Why was
Paisa not even trying to do that in their innings?
He did it perfectly. He had tray's I are also
come in trayas once he saw that, okay, Wirath was
hitting the pacers. Now like the pressure might fall slowly
on him, let me try to go against the spinners.
(22:42):
And he did that role perfectly. You could have easily
compartmentalized your innings. You did not do that. And like
how king Chuk said, like when you look at Wirath Kohli,
he reinvents himself. Why can't a Shahinsha free they do it?
He always depends on one thing swing. If it does
not happen, he's a very very average bowlder. He's not
world class at all, because world class players always reinvent
(23:05):
themselves whenever they know that. You can look at such an,
how such an reinvented himself in that Australia tour. He
did not play the cover drive because he knew that
people were trying to get him out at that point
in time. World class players always reinvent themselves. Pakistan do
not have any single world class player. They they do
not even match up to any of the Indian players.
(23:27):
Right now, because Indian team, we were all discussing about,
oh are we going to mess up the combinations because
the quality was always there with Pakistan. The combinations are
messed up, the quality is messed up, and they none
of them can reinvent themselves.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Tell me honestly, Barrings, say, Barber, Rizwan and Nazine. Can
any of these players get into Indian Du Trophy teams?
Speaker 3 (23:49):
No? Okay? That fun? No?
Speaker 4 (23:52):
No, which which? Let me let me give you an example. Okay,
so you have a you have a Mumbai team which
is star studded. Do you do you even think you
would take a barbarism in that team? No?
Speaker 3 (24:04):
In place of Suria, I probably would. For red ball cricket, No,
I will not.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
I will now HiT's team at the Mumbai coach was
passed off that you messed up my combination. You took
out two of my best batters from the team.
Speaker 4 (24:17):
So the quality is there, Hunger, there's a young batter coming.
Inia cannot make it into that team for obvious reasons
which we will not go into. But there are so many,
so many good players in that Mumbai team. Mumbai team
has won the trophy how many times? More than forty times?
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Right? Why?
Speaker 4 (24:35):
Because there is quality in that team.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
On the vice, on the vice versa. I think Pakistan
would love someone like Pish at the top, even for
those inconsistencies. Yeah, if considering simi jury, imagine you say
that someone is there who can give you forty ball
sixty but with a little bit of off troubles, They'll
be like, okay, that's probably yeah. So yeah, but you
(24:59):
know what I thought about 'artually coming back there, Like
you know, we all speak about oh he did that
with spin, he did that with his but if you
want to be blunt, he still has issues.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
It can't go away in one day.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
Like Rishad os Sein got him out when he was
trying to play backfoot that cut shot you mentioned in
your copy where he doesn't play a lot of backfoot shots,
but he has been making a conscious effort to do that.
But more so I think, you know, he still has
his technical deficiencies. We saw that in Australia where you know,
(25:33):
people people made plan as Noslim bowler has made plans
and they got him out every time. But I think
we have seen cricket before and him has done what
technique did he have as he had his own technique,
but he had that you know, mental resolve. He had
that courage, you know, to show that, okay, I can
get better, better than what my what the opponent is planning. Likewise,
(25:54):
were people doubted his hunger, people doubted his mental strength.
So I think that's that's why that pakistanok is going
to be very important.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
It's still a big game.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
We might say, oh but if you if India had lost,
then we would have all trained our guns.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
On the Endian team.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
So I think that mental strength, that was a show
of his mental strength that yeah, I am at this
age my probably my hand eye coordination is not as
good as it was.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
Probably I have some technical issues. I get out to.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Spin more than I got, more than I used to
in the past, but I still have that hunger and
that mental ability to mask those deficiencies and score those runs. Yesterday,
if you look at it, it was the spotless innings.
There was no drop there was no drop chances. I
don't think there was even an LBW shout. So I think, yeah,
I am very happy that we're not scored, but I'll
(26:42):
be you know, I'll be wanting to look at him,
look at what he does against better bowling line ups,
like someone like Mitchel Santner, Yeah, New Zealand, someone like
a Mitchell Santner or I don't know, like or go
to Schilan can play their spinners there. So but you
know what, you can't rule him out here, like you
can't say that you can't write end pieces about Veracoli.
(27:03):
Yet you will be proved wrong, like how the Master
proved people wrong. That's probably what I want to say
about we'ret I love wat As and like I want
him to score, but you know that the theater that
he brings, especially when it is I think shirts at.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
The end of the day, when you look at yesterday,
I think all sudden done. The most anticipation in the match,
the most tension in the match was when everybody was
wondering if Rath.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Will get to his hunter.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
The most horrifying part of it was seeing and coming
and needed twenty to fifteen runs in a started bashing.
That was the only part that was most entertaining in
that point, and I think also said about it.
Speaker 4 (27:45):
He was doing his match like what Wrath has to do. Yeah,
because everybody wanted to get to the hunter. That's it,
end of the day. That was the whole point at.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
The end of the you know, it would have been
very good had we sent Riswan as his batting partner
needed twenty you know that Trismon wouldn't show intent.
Speaker 4 (28:03):
Yeah, and put pressure on cold together. So yeah, that
was probably it. And probably with his age also, I
think he joked yesterday that you know, it's a good
thing that we have a week off break one week off,
because I'm thirty six and as a thirty six year old,
I think I want to put my feet up for
at least one or two days, maybe the twenty three,
twenty four. Your kids might not be happy with it,
(28:25):
but I'm very happy. Let me just rest for some
time and like recalibrate. And yeah, like probably that comment
that Kumble made, is he trying too hard? Probably the
biggest thing was seeing a thirty six year old come
up and you know, lead the team on the field
during that practice session. Then obviously we were worried when
(28:46):
he had an ice pack on his leg. That all
that adds to the aura of the man. That is
what at the end of the day. You know that
he's uh, you know, his powers are waning. He's thirty six.
He's not the same angree you know, destructive battle that
we have all seen over the years. He's kind of
(29:07):
mellowed down. He's become a very, very calm person. He
does not pick up fights. He does pick up fights,
but he does not pick up fights unnecessarily as often as.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
He used to before. You unnecessarily think about the Sam.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
Yeah, sorry, but then again that's all the aura of
the man and credit to him great innings and yeah,
like you said, spotless, hope that form continues as well.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
But what do you think about the other teams? King shook, Yeah,
it was like.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
You said, Brendon McCallum, love has been exposed again. Why
as in like what have as in?
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Like?
Speaker 1 (29:42):
If you can't beat that up that Australian team when
I'm sorry, you're not gonna We're gonna probably be endless.
But Bendeckett already said that it doesn't matter if you
win bilaterals against India. It only matters if you win
the champions Story final. So group stage matches matches also
don't matter.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
Who cares, But you know one thing that I noticed
about that England.
Speaker 4 (30:03):
Team performance was that at least one batter stayed through.
I think King huk was also telling me that, you know,
probably this is the longest time Benduket has spent on
we actually look at the numbers, right, Yeah, and in
between his Test innings, like he's a great Test batter.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
So amongst all of his Test centuries, this is like
the second most number of balls that he has played
in his entire career in an innings.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
And he did well, he scored one sixty five. But
the fact is the problem with the England team is
that there is nobody in form to probably compliment him.
If he had scored one sixty five, it's chipped in,
chipped in, but you need one more contribution coming in, right,
you need another seventy one of let's say thirty six
thirty five balls or two hundred strike great innings.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
That was not there.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
These guys tried and then they failed and their bowling
is still subpar. It's nobody is there apart from Ardel Rashid.
You see of dal Rashid.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
That's it.
Speaker 4 (30:59):
Nobody else contributed and that track was basically a road.
And yeah, I mean Josh Engliss was spectacular that day.
I personally did not give Australia a chance. But the
way that Carrie and Josh Engliss pays that innings, England
were searching for answers, and they've been searching for answers
(31:21):
since the end of the ODA World Cup. Nothing is
working and probably again they need to ask questions about
Josh Butler, also his captaincy, his form. These are things
that need to be questioned, and unfortunately there are no
questions coming up.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
I think you were a bit too severe with their
batting performance. If you score three thirty odd runs and
you still lose. Yes, like you said, it was a
road and there was due but in a major tournament
three point thirty probably is a good score batting first.
But I think this is where I think we should
give probably give credit to Australia saying that they took
(31:57):
them by surprise like you did not.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
I think they were.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
They lost two early wikids, Travi said, and Steve Smith
was gone and most of us thought, okay, this is
a done deal.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
England are going to run through and then win this match.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
But then these Australians, you know, whenever they come to
an ICC tournament and the planning. I don't actually agree
to that, but I don't actually agree to your assessment
of sech The thirty is like a good score in
any tournament because I remember in that match when Duckett
was playing that innings by the fortieth over, the conversation
was three eighty jasak eighty three seventy five. Yeah, that's
(32:34):
when the collapse happened against that And like if you
compare that to the Australian innings, Joss English did score
one twenty of like eighty six balls, right, but the
majority of that barrage of shots came at the very
end of his innings, so he was able to sustain
the pressure and let go of himself when they thought
(32:58):
that England were trying a little too much, like trying
to take those wickets. That's something that we have heard
again and again in this Champions Trophy, how these batters
have a lot of time, even if they can't see it.
So the idea is that till the fortieth over, if
you can save upon wickets, you can really let go
and on flat batting tracks you can manage those one
(33:20):
hundred and twenty one hundred and ten runs at the end.
Tell me one battery in England who would play fifty balls,
score twenty five runs and then say that, yeah, you
know what, I can take this deep, not a single one.
Everyone wants to play their shots at the start, set
the tempo and then carry on. That's the biggest difference
between an Australian side right now and an England's side
(33:42):
right now. The mental home when you go home, when
this Evolo sledging room is published, listen to what you said.
Speaker 3 (33:48):
Now fifty balls, twenty five.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
Runs and then go bang and the end right when
Mstony does it has a problem. I am just paying
it there because the I is coming as well.
Speaker 4 (34:03):
But I think that that is like like he said,
probably that is the biggest downfall or biggest flow of
bassball right that you you have to go hell for
leather at all points in time. I remember this because
Brendan mcclum was the coach of KKR and this was
a game against Rajasthan Royals and this was Treus' first
(34:25):
season as captain. He was scoring eighty seven. We were
set to chase down some two hundred odd runs. The
match was well set, everything was going fine, Straus went
for a shot, got out tol but the run rate
was well in control because the batters were targeting Obiit
McCoy from the other end. So you had chl see
(34:45):
off is over. He got are fine, but you still
have batters see him off target. Obeth McCoy get the win.
That is the agenda. No, everybody came and everybody tried
to Targetel gave him a hat trick, lost the match
and Lasso magine not by like a heavy margin, by
four or five runs.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
Mike must have been night man. It has been. It
has been, and that is the same thing he has
taken to England.
Speaker 4 (35:09):
You we were all surprised by how they played in
Test cricket, but Odia cricket, this approach does not work
because you need certain expect a Submann Gill if he
was playing against Bangladesh and decided, okay, everything is done
now I'm gonna play by shots. No, that's not how
it himself.
Speaker 1 (35:27):
Said as in like beautifully explained that after the match
he was asked, okay, Rosema said that you guys are
playing a new brand of Odia cricket. Is it going
to be attack at all time? Or how is it
going to He said, no, it's not going to be
attack at all time. Probably we'll go for the shots
at the when when the bowler is under pressure. And
he also beautifully explained the relationship between Hum and Ruth
(35:48):
that Ruth always takes the aggressive route. He takes more
risks in the power play. Well, I that allows me
to settle down. So probably that's how it should work.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
Right. Everybody can't go Hilter's skilter and you know, through the.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
Kitchen stick at every ball, so exactly that's something that
England does not have that kind of a batter. Now,
now it probably makes me understand like I was thinking
when Brenda mclum was appointed as a test coach, Oh
is it a wrong move? Would he not be more
suited for white ball? But I think probably he's not
suited for white ball now if you ask our colleagues
or a boost unfortunately injured Brendon McCallum doesn't belong in
(36:24):
the coaching room at all, room at all player but
not a good coaching material. But I don't know, as
in it's still early days. Yeah, but your quick reflection
before we know wrap up this episode of Sledging Room
on We had given predictions before the start of the
championspe do you guys stick to it.
Speaker 3 (36:44):
And how have you seen them?
Speaker 1 (36:45):
And my biggest concern is we all had high hopes
from Afghanistan, but probably the wayste they started against South
Africa was limb I.
Speaker 4 (36:52):
Think they're batting. Apart from that, you know, Gurbas firing.
If he is not firing, the pressure falls on the
other guys, and the other guys have not been able
to step.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
And they also played Seeko Artel in that match. We
spoke about him in detail before the.
Speaker 4 (37:07):
I think that game, that entire momentum that was supposed
to be set in the first twenty hours, they could
not do it. I think Shahidi came in he said that,
you know, we failed there. But yeah, I mean I
was a little disappointed by that performance. I don't think
that bowling was that bad. Yeah, three hundred was expected
on Pawisan tracks they have been flat throughout. Three hundred
(37:27):
and fifteen was still okay. They did well, but yeah,
I mean their batting was a problem and I think
that could be a problem.
Speaker 3 (37:37):
You know.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
The narrative around that match also surprised me a little
bit because a lot of people whom I met were saying, oh,
Afghanistan will roll over South Africa. South Africa never plays
spin well, but that that perception is completely wrong. South
Africa have become one of the most improved spin playing
sides in the recent years. Like look at their batting lineup.
Miller is experienced class and is experienced. Babama can play
(38:00):
spin really well, don't Razi Venuzusan can play really well.
Mark Um if he's in the mix, if he's in
if he wants to.
Speaker 3 (38:08):
Do well, he will do well.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
With all those ipal experiences that they've had, they have
become a very dangerous side and that's why I.
Speaker 3 (38:15):
Was a little surprised.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
Yeah, you can put your money on Afghanistan, but it's
too harsh to say that they probably will run over.
Speaker 3 (38:21):
Probably that is a few that I heard it from
a few people. I don't know whether you heard such
reviews from on a in a no mental pressure game.
They have an extremely balanced side and they have very
good spinners as well.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
Kamara is one of the best spinners who can exploit
any conditions. And also they have temporage sums. You sitting
outside and you're a man who can roll roll over
his arms when he died, so that looks like a
solid side.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
I think.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
I think they will make the semi fan What what
was your prediction from and South Africa?
Speaker 3 (38:54):
Do you still stick to that or do you go
Australia and South Africa.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Looking at what so what Australia did that there was
a surprise for me. I have to accept it here
and after this win. Knowing Steve Smith, he'll not let
it go. I think it is Australian South Africa from
that group and India Pakistan.
Speaker 3 (39:10):
From this group. India Park Pakistan. Let's believe in miracles.
I hope when we walk out of this we both
I hope when we walk out of that room.
Speaker 1 (39:21):
I hope when we walk out of this room, New
Zealander Butler is at three hundred for three and thirty hours.
Speaker 4 (39:29):
If that is the case, I think Sabia will would
I have already left the building.
Speaker 3 (39:33):
By now, but let's see.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
But let's believe in miracles. India Pakistan final in the
champions trophe.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
I don't want that. I think, what what do you
guys think?
Speaker 4 (39:42):
What was your prediction for the I think India, New
Zealand and South Africa Afghanistan. But yeah, I think now
I feel South Africa, Australia and India, New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (39:51):
And you were not.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
You were not with us when we made the U
when we were in the previous episode where we previewed
the Champions Trophyeah.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
But I think I was I did what would have
won before that? Okay? Then has it changed? Now? What
was your prediction?
Speaker 1 (40:04):
And my prediction was South Africa, Afghanistan and India and
New Zealand. And I stick to that because I think
what Australia did that the fact that their batting bailed
them out, it's not going to happen every day m
and their bowling is is going to leak more runs
against other teams than English. So you're saying England or Afghanistan,
(40:24):
who are going as like South Africa and Afghanistan?
Speaker 3 (40:27):
Are you part Yeah? And you're sticking to them? Yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:31):
I think I think it's time to, you know, ask
our viewers and listeners also probably the first round of
matches are over, India and New Pakistan play the second
round on Sunday, what they think about the tournament, whether
it's it has been exciting or not, and who do
they think will go from here. Please send in your
predictions and feedback on eight five, double eight nine, double.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
Six, double nine six.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
If you're listening to us on Spotify and Apple Podcast,
please do rate us and, like we always say, if
you're watching us.
Speaker 3 (40:57):
On YouTube, please leave your comments. We'll learn more from
a feed back. Thank you. Have a great week. M
This is India Today Podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
You are on India Today Podcasts and you are in
the Sledging Room. Let me warn you this is not
a place for the faint hearted and the weak need.
If you're a sports poff and like challenging everything you
see and hear, stay, If you're a sooner bodyatya fan,
walk away.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Right now, the big India Pakistan game in the Champions
trophe is over and I'm gonna go a little off
track here. Guys Alan and Kangshukov joined me on this
(00:49):
latest episode of Sledging Room. You know, in twenty sixteen,
I think twenty sixteen, during the Olympics, I was covering
the shift here only and there were was a film
Ruzinkan film called Kabali which had humongous hype like that
was probably his first association with one of the you know,
(01:10):
major film directors, one of the new new modern era
film directors. And I argued with my previous boss that
I need and off between the Olympics or just after
the Olympics when the coverage was a little busier, and
I booked a seven am or a AM show. There
were early morning shows here. Also, the hype was unimaginable,
(01:31):
you know. And then I finished shift at twelve and
then did not sleep, thinking that I'd missed Alarm.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
And then I went and watched that film.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
When I came out, you know, I felt like how
I felt yesterday, evening, the disappointment of, you know, something
not living up to the hype so much, you know,
that kind of I could feel that yesterday. I felt like,
why did we write so many things? Why did we
talk about so many things despite warnings? I said, like,
we had a guest column which said that this rivalry shit,
(02:02):
don't fall for the hype, and it was one more
evidence of why this rivalry is gone. Listen, Snlaaskar, who
spoke to us yesterday, said that even asn't like someone
who has been part of the rivalry, he's saying it's
become a no contest. Now do you agree with that?
As in like as in like agree as in what
(02:23):
do you have to say?
Speaker 4 (02:25):
I completely agree with that notion, because you know, there
was a time, even when we were writing that column
about our favorite moments, that two thousand and three match
when Sithan scored the hundred Powersan posted somewhere around two
seventy that was a very challenging and you could feel
the tension in those matches, right because they had a
bowling attack that had schoi buglers and was now when
(02:51):
you look at it, it is but sorry to interrupt
you there, but yesterday also they had these three people, right, yeah,
nineties nineties bowlers that nineties Yeah what nineties? If those
nineties bowlers actually hear it, I'm very sorry to say,
they might catch a bus and come and beat him up.
You look at the bowling attack now was Makrem stated
(03:13):
a very interesting fact. I was looking at his pre
post match comments. He said that Pakistan have the second
worst average amongst fourteen teams that have played Odeas this
year sixty and they are worse in a group that
actually contains USA and Oman. No offense to them, but
they are obviously minos when it is compared to everybody.
(03:35):
So you have that kind of uh, you have that
kind of a bowling.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Attack that was toothless.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Yeah, shainha free. They produce one moment of magic. Abara
Rahmat produced one moment of magic. What else was there?
There was nothing, There was no planning, nothing, And I'm
very sorry to say I would actually tell ICC. Please
don't group India and Pakistan together in a the same pool.
That's the funniest part. That's the funniest part, because yeah,
(04:03):
you do it for the ticket grabs. What what what
what are the fans getting? Pakistan fans are crying on
one side saying that we are spending money, we are
wasting our time for this. There is no contest. They
have accepted defeat long time back. Don't do this anymore.
That is my plea to the i c C. Because
it's it's just done. It's just done. You have you
have had Superman will come and defend it. None of
(04:25):
the Pakistan players or anybody said it because they were
probably probably were sure, but they probably were done.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
But yeah, this.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Contest it's done.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
That rivalry is over.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
India's rivals right now are probably Australia or New Zealand,
South Africa, those kinds of big teams. India is way
out of the Pakistan league. I would even say Sri
Lanka is a bigger rival in Asia than Pakistan right now.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
You don't have to put even for Sri Lanka. Yeah,
one of the yeah before comes into.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
You know, I would to give our listeners and viewers
a little bit of context of what happened yesterday and
why are we so you know, upset about all this.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Pakistan opted to.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Bat first on a toss was won by his one
and that's the only thing probably won, not not even
dilgy that at the end of the day. So I
think after batting first on that that was a big
advantage for them. But they managed to post to forty one,
one hundred and fifty two dog balls in three hundred balls.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
That's kind of one of and A said.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
We did a copy where I saw you fan Pakistan
fan saying this cricket belongs to the stone Age, not
even to the nineties, one hundred and fifty two DoD
balls posting two forty one. And once they posted two
forty one, you were in no doubt that India could
get there, Like even if they had lost early wickets,
even if their nineties fast bowlers had stuck early, two
forty one was always going to be chased, right, and
(05:50):
India eventually chased it. And the icing on the cake
was a ver Art Coalie hundred to this Verat Kolie,
who was you know, people said so many things about
him that he doesn't he has probably lost the urges.
Probably he can't correct his technical issues and all that.
We'll come to that later. But to make it short,
his one hundred was icing on the cake as India
(06:11):
finished with like forty five balls remaining. Yeah, that's the
part that I wanted to, you know, make it clear
before our sal Why am i Salman Aliaga and good
player today? Right right?
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (06:23):
And finished they go in Mamadrizwan's immortal words, yat win yato.
Learn so and learn from India, learn from this game.
Stop fielding teams in icy tournaments and just like sort
yourself out and and and come back. My biggest problem
is actually with the hype that that the broadcasters built
around these matches. And I keep comparing cricket with football.
(06:46):
If in football, FIFA were to put Brazil and Argentina
in one group in every single World Cup, you would
have massive outrage asking questions about the FIFA matters.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Context is a little different. It's not different.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
It's too sporting tunas where teams play. See football is
a game that is run, is an actual game. It's
it's no it's run. You know in so many countries.
It has the power to generate money from so many
countries cricket maximum six eight nine. But even like so,
you have to pull them together, especially when they're not
(07:19):
playing bilateral series. I don't have a problem with that,
but that hype as and even people are expecting it.
It's not the problem with the hype, it's, you know,
the problem with not living up to the hype, the
problem with Pakistan not contributing.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Okay, so would it not.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Be better if you were to pull in India and
Australian one group and have two cracker of a match
two cracker games, one in group stage one later in
the final. Organizers also have this doubt, what if there
is no India Pakistan gave in an ICC tournament, you
pull Pakistan in the other group, inevitably they don't advance.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
What will happen then?
Speaker 4 (07:54):
But then if they're facing India. You know, just like
how King shuk said about football. You know there are
certain matches in football that ends in two to one.
The score line might be too one, but you are
very very sure that one team was very dominant over
the other. I think even if the game, whatever the
hype was yesterday, it was absolutely one sided. You said
(08:16):
one fifty one dog balls. I think Pakistan has played
more than three hundred dog balls in two matches combined.
That is equal to one match, actually one match in
dots like what is like? What is the standard? Okay,
we were covering the match. We were actually saying that,
you know, when Virakoli and kale Rawhul's innings was criticized
during the World Cup final when he was not showing
(08:38):
intent and we were we actually came to the conclusion
that this Pakistan innings was worse than that. This is
a bowling attack without Boomrah. You are half fit, Shami
Shami had to go out, who's playing his first ICC tournament.
You could not Are you saying that you could not
rotate your strike against these kinds of bowlers.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
And my biggest problem with that thing that Pakistan team
is that they have been playing cricket since cricket started
right Afghanistan, who probably got to hold the bat for
the first time in the mid two thousands, have a
better approach to playing white ball games than Pakistan. And
I don't know how is that even possible Because these
(09:19):
guys do play T twenty leagues outside, these guys do
represent their country in top games. They have a good
domestic system. What has gone wrong in Pakistan management country
and in the team that they comfortably look the worst
team in any tournaments that they have played in in
the last three years.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
That's my thing because I.
Speaker 4 (09:41):
Think when we were doing the preview episode also I
said that I have full believed that Pakistan is going
to go out of the group stasis. There is no
X factor in this team. You had one X factor.
That was him. I got injured. Unfortunate, got injured, he
was out. Zaman a veteran faker. Zaman is your X factor.
He got injured in the second board. Okay, that is
(10:02):
also unfortunate. But what about other players? You are banking
on other players. You're banking on a guy like Barbaras
to his credit. I A small credit that I would
give is that Barbara Sam tried yesterday. I don't see
the criticism coming out. At least he tried in some
way or the other to give Pakisan a good start,
which was not there with Imam. Imam was like almost
(10:23):
thrown into the deep end right from the get go.
He has not played oday for almost a year. He
was out of the team. Now you're bringing back bringing
him back into the side. And then you have got
guys who Saud Shakil is a very good Test player,
but he does not have the ability to hit big shots.
That was pretty evident yesterday. He was tried, he tried
(10:43):
one big shot, he got caught up. And then you
don't you don't bring in a spinner. You have got
guys like Fahim Usman Khan, who you are not going
to be playing in any of the matches, then why
not bring in a spinner. Why not add an extra
spinner to help Abra Abra did trouble India that ball.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
To Schumann Gil.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
I think if you could see the reaction of Rakoli,
he was a little scared. Oh this guy is gonna do.
He produced probably the ball one of the deliveries of
the tournament.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Now what are we going to do?
Speaker 4 (11:16):
If he had support from the other end, it could
have been a contest yesterday. Could have been a contest yesterday.
But apart from that, they were raving about how Akibjawe
was raving about our fast bawlers. That is our strength
in white ball cricket. Your your main fastballer, shayanha Free.
They got hit for seventy four runs Rakoli targeted your
pacers and they were out. They were completely out. Their
(11:39):
body language was not good. They did not show anything
off the pitch after that one over where he got
hit for a six and four by ro Schama did
not produce anything from that match. So what is wrong
with Pakistan is probably they don't even know what is
their best team. Who are they going to bank? Do
they have a domestic circuit at all? Is that even
(12:02):
existing at the moment, because the whole pundits that are there,
the former players are saying that the domestic cricket is
dead because nobody gets a chance to play in this team.
There are seven eight players who are sticking. They keep
on sticking with these players. They never produce the results.
And as King Chuk said.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
They did that Champions Cup thing. Remember right before this tournament,
they pulled in five mentors, spent an exhorbitant amount of money.
I think nine hundred million dollars if I'm not wrong,
and they brought these players together these figures.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
I think so nine hundred million.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
I remember, I'm not sure if it's Pakistani rupia in dollars.
I think it's not to be very specific about it,
it's whatever like maybe we can like just like put
a figure in there in search Pakistan GDP and then
oh it's not right. No, you have to be you
have to get the facts right because when they renovated
the stadiums, it was said they spent around seventeen billion million,
(12:58):
billions billion billion, so that when we saw it was rupees,
it was not dollars.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
So you have to be very specific. That makes sense.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
I we'll just may put it under the star mark whatever.
So what am I saying, you killed my train of
that man?
Speaker 3 (13:11):
Yeah? Maybe maybe Champion Cup.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
No, maybe this is what happens in the Pakistan selection meeting,
you know, like somebody says something, somebody else says something,
things get lost in translation, and they make a squad
which is not even not even you know, like any
side for the tradition becomes even more difficult if you
have an English speaking foreign coach.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
So you know.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
I am not no, but but you know what when
when when Barber was the captain, all you Barber haters said, oh,
Barber's friends are being played. Barber has his own a
but now with Rizwan, who was looked at as a savior,
Risan's fland friends are being played enough. I much of Kaiya,
who is why why did Imam get out in the
(13:53):
first place. Why did fucker someone get dropped in the
first place. You knew that fucker someone is your only
X factor player. Not only did you drop from the contract,
you let him out of all your teams, and just
before the Champions Trophy you brought him back because Sime
was injured. My problem is, it's not if you have
to stoke the India Pakistan rivalry again.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
It has to you know, it has to be you
have to you have to get.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Pakistan back to where they were, or at least back
to the stage in early twenty tents where they were
still able to you know, the Miss Bairah whereas where
they were still able to make it watchable. But after
that it has been like if you call the twenty
twenty one T twenty world up the undoing of their
T twenty side, the highs of the T twenty side
which got into their head, and they never played, you know,
(14:37):
they never tried to get used to the changing pace
of the TREE twenty cricket. The twenty seventeen Champions Trophy
can be you know, pinpointed at a similar moment for
the audios. Since then, they have been very particular about
retaining their rankings. They've been very particular about in retaining
their stats. If you look at the way they have
played every other team experiments in bilateral series, right, England
(14:59):
don't care about whether they win or not. Benduckett came
and said, we don't care if we win in India
or not. Our ultimate team is to win the champions Shophee.
While we ridicule that statement, while a lot of us
it made sense because if you look at it, he said,
we are not worried about the results here.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
We want to get things right.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
And even Rochama says that when you make those, you know,
weird additions, when Baraka is brought in in the last moment,
it's all part of you know, whether it works for
me or not.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
But Pakistan take pride in winning these bilateral series.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Look at the way they won in Australia against the
second string Austilian team. Look at the way they won
in South Africa against the second team South Africa team,
and that gives a false sense of superiority that we
are going to dominate this tournament. And when you lose
the first two at home, and when you're on the
brink of elimination. See, humiliation is a very strong word
which shouldn't be associated with sport. But with Pakistan's performance
(15:51):
this time, I think it's it's borderline humiliation. For if
I am a Pawistan cricket fan and I am sitting
and you are you winning green, I'm wearing it to
respect the great players who played for parison, not for
the current crop. When I'm sitting and watching that Mahmadriswan
press conference and him coming out and saying, yeah, it
is almost done.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
It's over. It's said it's over, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
It's over, that kind of shows the entire camp. He said,
there are we are going to be fifteen captains. They
are playing like fifteen captains. Each player has his own agenda.
Each player comes into the field having his own agenda.
And then you come out and say that, yeah, we
are done, We're done here. That is that is disappointing.
(16:34):
That is that's the truth. Probably for the first time
in the tournament, you've spoken truth. But do you really
want to, like, if you are going to make that
statement and look defeated throughout the matches, then give a
bye for everybody else. No, we would be saved of
all these work that we are trying to do. Others
will be saved of just wasting time and going to
the grounds and watching the match or sitting in at
(16:57):
home and watching the match.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
After all this, but qualify for the final and win
the Yeah, that's what I was.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
That Championship is a weird tournament as we still they
go to Zealand are facing Bangladesh. If Banglades beat New
Zealand by a big margin and then Pakistan beat Bangladesh
and then India beat New Zealand, then Pakistan can go through.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
But it's a mathematical equation. And then there is.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
Rain also predicted there is rain where Pakistan was as Bangladesh.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
So it's as improbable as me winning some an Olympic
gold or something. But can you never know? There is
archie in twenty thirty sports now you might. You could
know archery in twenty thirty six, there's no we have
seen forty year old archers going there and winning, right, Yeah,
so like, but will you make that cutoff in time
forty year old next Olympics thirty six? Yeah, but we
(17:44):
have straying too too far away from the But yeah,
it's kind of very asn't like at one point you
feel sad for Pakistan, right, No, no, no, it's your owndoing.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
It's your OWND doing. What have you done?
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Like you said twenty seventeen, you win the champions things
get to your see you you can't look at it
from the cricket point of view, then what point of view?
There is a lot of political instability there. Every time
a government changes, a PCV chief comes, a PCV chief
is appointed by the Prime Minister.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Which still is their own doing. But yes, there.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Are certain things that you need to cut. They have
not played international cricket at home for like what like
for fifteen years. That'sn't like it's it was cut off
in two thousand and nine and it came back to
you know, high profile international kid only in twenty twenty
nineteen that time, so it kind of you know, when
they played their first few Test matches, even the home
players were not aware of the conditions because they had
(18:37):
never played there. Right, they never played international cricket there.
And the domestic structure is also a problem, like you
pointed out the Champions Cup. Every time Pakistan have to
fix something, the new guy comes in and he has
to show that he's working. Instead of, you know, probably
getting the domestic tournaments back on track, you introduce a
new tournament with five flashy head coaches and all that, which.
Speaker 3 (18:58):
Is kind of the problem. Right.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
They don't have a stable set up like the BCCI, Right,
So I don't know if there's no quick fix, you
can only rely on miracles like Theaman one hundred in
the Champions Trophy, or the Momarami spell in the twenty
seventeen Champions Sophie, or the way Shin Bold in the
But if you look at consistent success, which is something
(19:21):
you know that is you know, evaded Pakistan in the
last few years. But coming back to Ratkoli, honestly, tell
me Alan and King Shuk, did any.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
Of you think that he'll get these runs? Honestly?
Speaker 4 (19:35):
I think with the the the discussions being around how
Watkoli has not done well against Pin, the surprise to
me was if you noticed yesterday's game, that final boundary
he hit of Kushtil was his only boundary against Spin.
And he said that in his post match interview as well,
(19:58):
that my whole approach was that I I'm going to
target the pacers and I am going to be very
very careful against spinners.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
That was a very good tweak.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
Obviously does not work every single time you go against
a different team who has better quality, that might not
that approach might not make. He did not work against
Bangladesh who had a better bullying attack, better attack at
least a better spin attack. But he made that tweak
and that was a very conscious effort from him. And
he also stuck to the thing where he was going
(20:27):
to attack pacers and he did that also. So for me,
that was a big surprise, that tweak that he made.
When I wrote about it, I said that probably Virat
should try to sweep the spinners like how he did
in the IPL twenty twenty four season, which was successful
for him. That was the one thing that I was
quite surprised by. But yeah, Wrath has always stepped up
(20:47):
against Pakistan. Pakistan have almost become like that team where
Viiratkoli always steps up and he delivers those ruts regardless
of whatever form he is in. And that was what
Harmazonzing also said. He said, my bold prediction is that
will score one hundred. I don't know if he's done
the Bangra yet because he has promised that also, But
(21:10):
the fact is against Pakistan, Viratkoli is almost inevitable.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
That is what happens.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Probably we're not might right to the ICC right every
match give series against Yeah, but you know, like that's
actually a great thing that you say, Like Pakistan's biggest
lesson from yesterday's game is perhaps the Verratkol innings. A
person with fourteen thousand odo runs fifty one centuries now
fifty two fifty one fifty one centuries keeps reinventing himself
(21:38):
under criticism that something Pakistan have never done. Since the
time I started following Pakistan cricket. It's the same people
at the top. It's the same approach at the top,
and they just continue to defend themselves and their process
all the time. Virat also does that a lot of time.
We'rerat has snapped at people saying that my process, my process.
(22:00):
But every time you see that his career hits a
traff goes back to Bombay practices with banger quarks on
his short ball. Here went to the training ninety minutes ahead.
People said. Anil Kumle said that maybe he's doing a
little too much. Worked for him, worked for him, did
something different and walk from Well.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
The best thing was when I was watching that with
Rathkoli innings, he kept on rotating the strike. Why was
Paisa not even trying to do that in their innings?
He did it perfectly. He had tray's I are also
come in trayas once he saw that, okay, Wirath was
hitting the pacers. Now like the pressure might fall slowly
on him, let me try to go against the spinners.
(22:42):
And he did that role perfectly. You could have easily
compartmentalized your innings. You did not do that. And like
how king Chuk said, like when you look at Wirath Kohli,
he reinvents himself. Why can't a Shahinsha free they do it?
He always depends on one thing swing. If it does
not happen, he's a very very average bowlder. He's not
world class at all, because world class players always reinvent
(23:05):
themselves whenever they know that. You can look at such an,
how such an reinvented himself in that Australia tour. He
did not play the cover drive because he knew that
people were trying to get him out at that point
in time. World class players always reinvent themselves. Pakistan do
not have any single world class player. They they do
not even match up to any of the Indian players.
(23:27):
Right now, because Indian team, we were all discussing about,
oh are we going to mess up the combinations because
the quality was always there with Pakistan. The combinations are
messed up, the quality is messed up, and they none
of them can reinvent themselves.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Tell me honestly, Barrings, say, Barber, Rizwan and Nazine. Can
any of these players get into Indian Du Trophy teams?
Speaker 3 (23:49):
No? Okay? That fun? No?
Speaker 4 (23:52):
No, which which? Let me let me give you an example. Okay,
so you have a you have a Mumbai team which
is star studded. Do you do you even think you
would take a barbarism in that team? No?
Speaker 3 (24:04):
In place of Suria, I probably would. For red ball cricket, No,
I will not.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
I will now HiT's team at the Mumbai coach was
passed off that you messed up my combination. You took
out two of my best batters from the team.
Speaker 4 (24:17):
So the quality is there, Hunger, there's a young batter coming.
Inia cannot make it into that team for obvious reasons
which we will not go into. But there are so many,
so many good players in that Mumbai team. Mumbai team
has won the trophy how many times? More than forty times?
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Right? Why?
Speaker 4 (24:35):
Because there is quality in that team.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
On the vice, on the vice versa. I think Pakistan
would love someone like Pish at the top, even for
those inconsistencies. Yeah, if considering simi jury, imagine you say
that someone is there who can give you forty ball
sixty but with a little bit of off troubles, They'll
be like, okay, that's probably yeah. So yeah, but you
(24:59):
know what I thought about 'artually coming back there, Like
you know, we all speak about oh he did that
with spin, he did that with his but if you
want to be blunt, he still has issues.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
It can't go away in one day.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
Like Rishad os Sein got him out when he was
trying to play backfoot that cut shot you mentioned in
your copy where he doesn't play a lot of backfoot shots,
but he has been making a conscious effort to do that.
But more so I think, you know, he still has
his technical deficiencies. We saw that in Australia where you know,
(25:33):
people people made plan as Noslim bowler has made plans
and they got him out every time. But I think
we have seen cricket before and him has done what
technique did he have as he had his own technique,
but he had that you know, mental resolve. He had
that courage, you know, to show that, okay, I can
get better, better than what my what the opponent is planning. Likewise,
(25:54):
were people doubted his hunger, people doubted his mental strength.
So I think that's that's why that pakistanok is going
to be very important.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
It's still a big game.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
We might say, oh but if you if India had lost,
then we would have all trained our guns.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
On the Endian team.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
So I think that mental strength, that was a show
of his mental strength that yeah, I am at this
age my probably my hand eye coordination is not as
good as it was.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
Probably I have some technical issues. I get out to.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Spin more than I got, more than I used to
in the past, but I still have that hunger and
that mental ability to mask those deficiencies and score those runs. Yesterday,
if you look at it, it was the spotless innings.
There was no drop there was no drop chances. I
don't think there was even an LBW shout. So I think, yeah,
I am very happy that we're not scored, but I'll
(26:42):
be you know, I'll be wanting to look at him,
look at what he does against better bowling line ups,
like someone like Mitchel Santner, Yeah, New Zealand, someone like
a Mitchell Santner or I don't know, like or go
to Schilan can play their spinners there. So but you
know what, you can't rule him out here, like you
can't say that you can't write end pieces about Veracoli.
(27:03):
Yet you will be proved wrong, like how the Master
proved people wrong. That's probably what I want to say
about we'ret I love wat As and like I want
him to score, but you know that the theater that
he brings, especially when it is I think shirts at.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
The end of the day, when you look at yesterday,
I think all sudden done. The most anticipation in the match,
the most tension in the match was when everybody was
wondering if Rath.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Will get to his hunter.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
The most horrifying part of it was seeing and coming
and needed twenty to fifteen runs in a started bashing.
That was the only part that was most entertaining in
that point, and I think also said about it.
Speaker 4 (27:45):
He was doing his match like what Wrath has to do. Yeah,
because everybody wanted to get to the hunter. That's it,
end of the day. That was the whole point at.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
The end of the you know, it would have been
very good had we sent Riswan as his batting partner
needed twenty you know that Trismon wouldn't show intent.
Speaker 4 (28:03):
Yeah, and put pressure on cold together. So yeah, that
was probably it. And probably with his age also, I
think he joked yesterday that you know, it's a good
thing that we have a week off break one week off,
because I'm thirty six and as a thirty six year old,
I think I want to put my feet up for
at least one or two days, maybe the twenty three,
twenty four. Your kids might not be happy with it,
(28:25):
but I'm very happy. Let me just rest for some
time and like recalibrate. And yeah, like probably that comment
that Kumble made, is he trying too hard? Probably the
biggest thing was seeing a thirty six year old come
up and you know, lead the team on the field
during that practice session. Then obviously we were worried when
(28:46):
he had an ice pack on his leg. That all
that adds to the aura of the man. That is
what at the end of the day. You know that
he's uh, you know, his powers are waning. He's thirty six.
He's not the same angree you know, destructive battle that
we have all seen over the years. He's kind of
(29:07):
mellowed down. He's become a very, very calm person. He
does not pick up fights. He does pick up fights,
but he does not pick up fights unnecessarily as often as.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
He used to before. You unnecessarily think about the Sam.
Speaker 4 (29:20):
Yeah, sorry, but then again that's all the aura of
the man and credit to him great innings and yeah,
like you said, spotless, hope that form continues as well.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
But what do you think about the other teams? King shook, Yeah,
it was like.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
You said, Brendon McCallum, love has been exposed again. Why
as in like what have as in?
Speaker 3 (29:42):
Like?
Speaker 1 (29:42):
If you can't beat that up that Australian team when
I'm sorry, you're not gonna We're gonna probably be endless.
But Bendeckett already said that it doesn't matter if you
win bilaterals against India. It only matters if you win
the champions Story final. So group stage matches matches also
don't matter.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
Who cares, But you know one thing that I noticed
about that England.
Speaker 4 (30:03):
Team performance was that at least one batter stayed through.
I think King huk was also telling me that, you know,
probably this is the longest time Benduket has spent on
we actually look at the numbers, right, Yeah, and in
between his Test innings, like he's a great Test batter.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
So amongst all of his Test centuries, this is like
the second most number of balls that he has played
in his entire career in an innings.
Speaker 4 (30:27):
And he did well, he scored one sixty five. But
the fact is the problem with the England team is
that there is nobody in form to probably compliment him.
If he had scored one sixty five, it's chipped in,
chipped in, but you need one more contribution coming in, right,
you need another seventy one of let's say thirty six
thirty five balls or two hundred strike great innings.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
That was not there.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
These guys tried and then they failed and their bowling
is still subpar. It's nobody is there apart from Ardel Rashid.
You see of dal Rashid.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
That's it.
Speaker 4 (30:59):
Nobody else contributed and that track was basically a road.
And yeah, I mean Josh Engliss was spectacular that day.
I personally did not give Australia a chance. But the
way that Carrie and Josh Engliss pays that innings, England
were searching for answers, and they've been searching for answers
(31:21):
since the end of the ODA World Cup. Nothing is
working and probably again they need to ask questions about
Josh Butler, also his captaincy, his form. These are things
that need to be questioned, and unfortunately there are no
questions coming up.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
I think you were a bit too severe with their
batting performance. If you score three thirty odd runs and
you still lose. Yes, like you said, it was a
road and there was due but in a major tournament
three point thirty probably is a good score batting first.
But I think this is where I think we should
give probably give credit to Australia saying that they took
(31:57):
them by surprise like you did not.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
I think they were.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
They lost two early wikids, Travi said, and Steve Smith
was gone and most of us thought, okay, this is
a done deal.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
England are going to run through and then win this match.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
But then these Australians, you know, whenever they come to
an ICC tournament and the planning. I don't actually agree
to that, but I don't actually agree to your assessment
of sech The thirty is like a good score in
any tournament because I remember in that match when Duckett
was playing that innings by the fortieth over, the conversation
was three eighty jasak eighty three seventy five. Yeah, that's
(32:34):
when the collapse happened against that And like if you
compare that to the Australian innings, Joss English did score
one twenty of like eighty six balls, right, but the
majority of that barrage of shots came at the very
end of his innings, so he was able to sustain
the pressure and let go of himself when they thought
(32:58):
that England were trying a little too much, like trying
to take those wickets. That's something that we have heard
again and again in this Champions Trophy, how these batters
have a lot of time, even if they can't see it.
So the idea is that till the fortieth over, if
you can save upon wickets, you can really let go
and on flat batting tracks you can manage those one
(33:20):
hundred and twenty one hundred and ten runs at the end.
Tell me one battery in England who would play fifty balls,
score twenty five runs and then say that, yeah, you
know what, I can take this deep, not a single one.
Everyone wants to play their shots at the start, set
the tempo and then carry on. That's the biggest difference
between an Australian side right now and an England's side
(33:42):
right now. The mental home when you go home, when
this Evolo sledging room is published, listen to what you said.
Speaker 3 (33:48):
Now fifty balls, twenty five.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
Runs and then go bang and the end right when
Mstony does it has a problem. I am just paying
it there because the I is coming as well.
Speaker 4 (34:03):
But I think that that is like like he said,
probably that is the biggest downfall or biggest flow of
bassball right that you you have to go hell for
leather at all points in time. I remember this because
Brendan mcclum was the coach of KKR and this was
a game against Rajasthan Royals and this was Treus' first
(34:25):
season as captain. He was scoring eighty seven. We were
set to chase down some two hundred odd runs. The
match was well set, everything was going fine, Straus went
for a shot, got out tol but the run rate
was well in control because the batters were targeting Obiit
McCoy from the other end. So you had chl see
(34:45):
off is over. He got are fine, but you still
have batters see him off target. Obeth McCoy get the win.
That is the agenda. No, everybody came and everybody tried
to Targetel gave him a hat trick, lost the match
and Lasso magine not by like a heavy margin, by
four or five runs.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
Mike must have been night man. It has been. It
has been, and that is the same thing he has
taken to England.
Speaker 4 (35:09):
You we were all surprised by how they played in
Test cricket, but Odia cricket, this approach does not work
because you need certain expect a Submann Gill if he
was playing against Bangladesh and decided, okay, everything is done
now I'm gonna play by shots. No, that's not how
it himself.
Speaker 1 (35:27):
Said as in like beautifully explained that after the match
he was asked, okay, Rosema said that you guys are
playing a new brand of Odia cricket. Is it going
to be attack at all time? Or how is it
going to He said, no, it's not going to be
attack at all time. Probably we'll go for the shots
at the when when the bowler is under pressure. And
he also beautifully explained the relationship between Hum and Ruth
(35:48):
that Ruth always takes the aggressive route. He takes more
risks in the power play. Well, I that allows me
to settle down. So probably that's how it should work.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
Right. Everybody can't go Hilter's skilter and you know, through the.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
Kitchen stick at every ball, so exactly that's something that
England does not have that kind of a batter. Now,
now it probably makes me understand like I was thinking
when Brenda mclum was appointed as a test coach, Oh
is it a wrong move? Would he not be more
suited for white ball? But I think probably he's not
suited for white ball now if you ask our colleagues
or a boost unfortunately injured Brendon McCallum doesn't belong in
(36:24):
the coaching room at all, room at all player but
not a good coaching material. But I don't know, as
in it's still early days. Yeah, but your quick reflection
before we know wrap up this episode of Sledging Room
on We had given predictions before the start of the
championspe do you guys stick to it.
Speaker 3 (36:44):
And how have you seen them?
Speaker 1 (36:45):
And my biggest concern is we all had high hopes
from Afghanistan, but probably the wayste they started against South
Africa was limb I.
Speaker 4 (36:52):
Think they're batting. Apart from that, you know, Gurbas firing.
If he is not firing, the pressure falls on the
other guys, and the other guys have not been able
to step.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
And they also played Seeko Artel in that match. We
spoke about him in detail before the.
Speaker 4 (37:07):
I think that game, that entire momentum that was supposed
to be set in the first twenty hours, they could
not do it. I think Shahidi came in he said that,
you know, we failed there. But yeah, I mean I
was a little disappointed by that performance. I don't think
that bowling was that bad. Yeah, three hundred was expected
on Pawisan tracks they have been flat throughout. Three hundred
(37:27):
and fifteen was still okay. They did well, but yeah,
I mean their batting was a problem and I think
that could be a problem.
Speaker 3 (37:37):
You know.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
The narrative around that match also surprised me a little
bit because a lot of people whom I met were saying, oh,
Afghanistan will roll over South Africa. South Africa never plays
spin well, but that that perception is completely wrong. South
Africa have become one of the most improved spin playing
sides in the recent years. Like look at their batting lineup.
Miller is experienced class and is experienced. Babama can play
(38:00):
spin really well, don't Razi Venuzusan can play really well.
Mark Um if he's in the mix, if he's in
if he wants to.
Speaker 3 (38:08):
Do well, he will do well.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
With all those ipal experiences that they've had, they have
become a very dangerous side and that's why I.
Speaker 3 (38:15):
Was a little surprised.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
Yeah, you can put your money on Afghanistan, but it's
too harsh to say that they probably will run over.
Speaker 3 (38:21):
Probably that is a few that I heard it from
a few people. I don't know whether you heard such
reviews from on a in a no mental pressure game.
They have an extremely balanced side and they have very
good spinners as well.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
Kamara is one of the best spinners who can exploit
any conditions. And also they have temporage sums. You sitting
outside and you're a man who can roll roll over
his arms when he died, so that looks like a
solid side.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
I think.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
I think they will make the semi fan What what
was your prediction from and South Africa?
Speaker 3 (38:54):
Do you still stick to that or do you go
Australia and South Africa.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Looking at what so what Australia did that there was
a surprise for me. I have to accept it here
and after this win. Knowing Steve Smith, he'll not let
it go. I think it is Australian South Africa from
that group and India Pakistan.
Speaker 3 (39:10):
From this group. India Park Pakistan. Let's believe in miracles.
I hope when we walk out of this we both
I hope when we walk out of that room.
Speaker 1 (39:21):
I hope when we walk out of this room, New
Zealander Butler is at three hundred for three and thirty hours.
Speaker 4 (39:29):
If that is the case, I think Sabia will would
I have already left the building.
Speaker 3 (39:33):
By now, but let's see.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
But let's believe in miracles. India Pakistan final in the
champions trophe.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
I don't want that. I think, what what do you
guys think?
Speaker 4 (39:42):
What was your prediction for the I think India, New
Zealand and South Africa Afghanistan. But yeah, I think now
I feel South Africa, Australia and India, New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (39:51):
And you were not.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
You were not with us when we made the U
when we were in the previous episode where we previewed
the Champions Trophyeah.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
But I think I was I did what would have
won before that? Okay? Then has it changed? Now? What
was your prediction?
Speaker 1 (40:04):
And my prediction was South Africa, Afghanistan and India and
New Zealand. And I stick to that because I think
what Australia did that the fact that their batting bailed
them out, it's not going to happen every day m
and their bowling is is going to leak more runs
against other teams than English. So you're saying England or Afghanistan,
(40:24):
who are going as like South Africa and Afghanistan?
Speaker 3 (40:27):
Are you part Yeah? And you're sticking to them? Yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:31):
I think I think it's time to, you know, ask
our viewers and listeners also probably the first round of
matches are over, India and New Pakistan play the second
round on Sunday, what they think about the tournament, whether
it's it has been exciting or not, and who do
they think will go from here. Please send in your
predictions and feedback on eight five, double eight nine, double.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
Six, double nine six.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
If you're listening to us on Spotify and Apple Podcast,
please do rate us and, like we always say, if
you're watching us.
Speaker 3 (40:57):
On YouTube, please leave your comments. We'll learn more from
a feed back. Thank you. Have a great week. M
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