Gautam Gambhir hits the nail on the head to shut Pakistan media

Indian opener Gautam Gambhir took up the responsibility to shut the Pakistani media as the temperature soared in the run-up to the high-voltage clash between India and Pakistan in Asia Cup on Wednesday. The left-handed batsman told the Pakistani media that it is India who have had the upper edge in recent encounters and also that their recent schedules had a lot of difference in terms of challenges.

Pakistan defeated India in their last face-off which took place in the final of the Champions Trophy in England last year and a number of pundits, even including former greats, felt that the Men in Green have an edge over their counterparts in Blue. India’s ordinary show against Hong Kong on Tuesday where they won by just 26 runs also added more to the pro-Pakistan sentiments ahead of the clash.

Gambhir, whose highest ODI score (83) against Pakistan came in an Asia Cup game in 2010, stood up to defend India against a Pakistani journalist who tried to compare the recent results of the two countries in international cricket.

The difference in playing England and Zimbabwe

Speaking on ABP News during a debate with Pakistan’s ARY News, the 36-year-old cricketer said, “There is a lot of difference between losing to England in English conditions whereas winning against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe. In fact, our India A team can also beat Zimbabwe. You should take a look at the rankings to get a better picture of the things. Pakistan is happy to play against teams like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and win against them. However, it doesn’t make any difference. Before the Champions Trophy, Pakistan hasn’t won much against India.”

India have won seven of their last 11 encounters with Pakistan while the latter got better of the opposition four times. The Men in Blue recently lost a ODI and Test series in England 1-2 and 1-4 respectively, while Pakistan last won a triangular T20 series in Zimbabwe beating Australia besides the home country before annihilating the African side 5-0 in a 50-over series.

Meanwhile, Pakistan were 2 down for 23 against India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium after their captain Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss and elected to bat. Both teams have qualified for the Super Four stage and today’s winner will have a psychological edge before their meeting on September 23.

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