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Cricket PlayersRavichandran Ashwin makes fun of sorry Pakistan after one-way traffic: ‘India could have given them a follow-on’
Ravichandran Ashwin had a brutal take after Pakistan suffered a defeat at the hands of India once again in the T20 World Cup.
The T20 World Cup Group A match between India and Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo turned into a no-contest. Suryakumar Yadav and the rest of the Men in Blue didn't even break a sweat in getting the better of the Green Shirts, defeating them by 61 runs. Salman Ali Agha's decision to bowl first did not pay off as his side failed to chase down the target of 176, after being bundled out for 114 in 18 overs. Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel all returned with two wickets each to help India cruise home.
After India's emphatic win in Colombo, Ravichandran Ashwin poked fun at Pakistan, saying the margin of victory was as big as enforcing a follow-on in a Test match. He was also quite critical of how Pakistan approached the chase, giving away wickets to Bumrah and Hardik up top.
By the time the second over was completed, Pakistan had already lost three wickets and their chase was firmly derailed after the dismissal of Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub and Agha.
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"174 (175) on this pitch. One can give a follow-on, on this pitch. Trust me. In a four-day game, 150 runs are required to give a follow-on; in a five-day game, it's 200. If you want to give a follow-on in T20 cricket, then this is the score," said Ashwin on his YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat'.
“If we had scored 20 more runs, then we could have given the follow-on. We can do one thing, we can ask them to bat again and give the bowling to Washington Sundar,” he added.
Where did Pakistan lose the plot?
According to Ashwin, Pakistan lost the plot as soon as they opted to bowl on a surface, where all the previous matches were won by the team defending a score. India posted 175/7 in 20 overs after opening batter Ishan Kishan played a 77-run knock off just 40 balls.
Pakistan bowled 18 overs of spin, but the two overs of pace, which were bowled by Shaheen Shah Afridi, proved costly as the left-arm seamer leaked 31 runs.
“Where did they win to lose the plot? Pakistan lost the game when they opted to bowl first after winning the toss because we saw the match between Australia and Zimbabwe. Australia struggled to get 170. When we see IPL matches, teams win easily if they need 100 runs off the last 10 overs. But it’s not happening in this World Cup. In Premadasa Stadium, you can’t chase 100 in ten overs," said Ashwin.
"The way Pakistan deals with pressure, India are 100 times better in that aspect. I don’t think Pakistan are there. Honestly, Pakistan have become tactically better under Salman Agha and Mike Hesson. But the way they brought Shaheen Afridi after Agha’s first over was a terrible mistake,” he added.
After losing to India, Pakistan must beat Namibia to qualify for the Super 8s. A defeat would lead to the USA making it to the next round alongside India from Group A.
