Gautam Gambhir's interesting take on Indo-Pak series after ODI World Cup clash: 'Pakistan used to hammer India'

Gautam Gambhir shared his views about the heated rivalry between India and Pakistan after the ODI World Cup showdown between the traditional rivals.

With Rohit Sharma and Co. thrashing Pakistan in the blockbuster clash between the traditional rivals at the ICC World Cup 2023, former India opener Gautam Gambhir issued an interesting statement about the prospect of the Men In Blue playing bilateral series against Babar Azam's men. Rohit and Co. hammered Pakistan in match No.12 of the ICC World Cup to extend their winning run to three games in the showpiece event.

Gambhir recalled that Pakistan used to hammer India in the international arena (PTI-ANI)

Two-time champions India also extended its winning streak to eight matches against Pakistan in the World Cup. The Men In Blue have defeated Pakistan eight times out of eight since the Asian giants first met each other in the 1992 edition of the ODI World Cup. A collective performance from Indian bowlers forced Pakistan to set a below-par target of 192 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium. In reply, India chased down the target in just 30.3 overs to thrash Pakistan by seven wickets at the world's largest cricket stadium.

'Pakistan used to hammer India like this'

Reflecting on India's impressive win over Babar's men, former Indian opener Gambhir recalled that Pakistan used to hammer India in a similar fashion. "Hammering along with domination. You use this word very rarely, that too when you are playing against Pakistan. If you see the results, Pakistan used to hammer India like this for a long time. However, for the last many years, India have dominated. This is bad for subcontinental cricket. We always used to say that if we have an India-Pakistan series, it will be competitive. An India-Pakistan series is not going to be competitive at all because there is a massive difference between the two sides," Gambhir told Star Sports.

Huge luxury to have Bumrah

Gambhir was all praise for Indian pacer Bumrah, who won the Player of the Match for his bowling masterclass. Pace ace Bumrah bagged the crucial wickets of Mohammad Rizwan and Shadab Khan in the low-scoring encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Bumrah bagged two wickets and leaked 19 runs in seven overs before skipper Rohit sealed India’s win with his brilliant knock of 86 off 63 balls."If any captain has Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav, it is a huge luxury. Out of 50 overs, you get 20 overs from bowlers who can give you wickets anytime. You were comparing Jasprit Bumrah with Shaheen Shah Afridi. Jasprit Bumrah's first spell was under the 2 PM sun and he hardly gave any runs in his first four overs," Gambhir added.