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'India went down only because...': Ramiz Raja's no-nonsense response on Rohit Sharma-led side's shock Asia Cup exit
The two teams have long been compared in world cricket despite not being involved in bilateral series, and the two were once again drawn into a comparison by the chief of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja who had a rather blunt explanation on why India suffered a shock Asia Cup exit.
Amid all the talk around Asia Cup 2022 throwing as many as three possible India-Pakistan encounters, it was reduced to two with both side winning a game each, but Babar Azam's men won the more crucial one, in the Super 4 stage of the competition. India subsequently lost against Sri Lanka in their next game and were knocked out of the competition. Pakistan, on the other hand, beat Afghanistan in a tensed tie in Dubai to reach the final. The two teams have long been compared in world cricket despite not being involved in bilateral series, and the two were once again drawn into a comparison by the chief of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja who had a rather blunt explanation on why India suffered a shock Asia Cup exit.
India lost to Pakistan in their Super 4 opener before being stunned by a rejuvenating Sri Lankan side to stand on the edge of elimination. Babar Azam's men then held nerves in their tie against Afghanistan which ensured India's exit from the competition where they entered not just as the defending champions but also as the overwhelming favourites.
Speaking to the media ahead of Pakistan's match against Sri Lanka in Dubai in the Asia Cup 2022 final, Raja explained that the Babar-led side stayed true to their combination throughout the tournament while India made way too many changes.
“You have seen the team’s ranking; the results are also visible. If we compare the teams of India and Pakistan, people have been asking me why am I playing the same combination? You will leave them injured or so… My point is that we have handled a particular situation and won games. So, why should I change the winning model,” Raja said.
“India went down only because they are not letting the model set. They are making too many changes. They have a bigger pool of players with which they are experimenting. So, unless you don’t have that kind of bench strength, you don’t need experimentation. You have got a strong position so just hold that and keep winning games," he added.
Pakistan, on Sunday, will be aming to become the Asia Cup winners for the first time in 10 years and third overall, while Sri Lanka will be hoping to continue their winning run in the tournament to bag the title for the sixth time.
