Pakistan stand on the brink of elimination from the 2022 T20 World Cup. After losing to India in their opener last Sunday in Melbourne and to lower-ranked Zimbabwe by one run earlier this week, Pakistan stand fifth in Group 2 with the team yet to open their account. And as the Babar Azam-led side gears up for their third match in the tournament, against Netherlands in Perth, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has shared an epic advice for the team amid the array of criticism they have been facing since the shock defeat to Zimbabwe.
After loss to India, Pakistan's only obstacle, considered to be, was South Africa. However, the 2009 champions were stunned by Zimbabwe as their failed to chase down 131 runs in 20 overs. What followed a barrage of criticisms form former cricketers and analysts on talk shows.
Gavaskar, on India Today, was asked if the defeat was because Pakistan failed to gain early momentum in the tournament after their loss to India, something which had happened to the Men in Blue in the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE.
“Kabhi kabhi waise demoralising hota hai. Aap apne aap ko lift nehi kar sakte. Lift karne kiliye apke jo management hai woh waise chaiye jo aapko bol sake ki haa ho gaya but aapke paas woh qabiliyat hai. Yehi pe, do saal pehle, India Adelaide main 36 all-out ho gayi thi. Kohli wapas chale gaye the. Ajinkya Rahane captain the. Jis tarike se Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun, Ajinkya Rahane, Vikram Rathour, Sridhar, unhone team ko samhala aur confidence diya. Aur maine dekha hai ki jab Kohli nehi rehta hai toh baki ke players sochte hai ki kaise uske jaga ko compensate karein. Waisa agar Pakistan ke paas hota, waisa support staff jo team ko bol sakta hai ki chalo...abhi bhi ho sakta hai. (Sometimes it can be demoralising. But to lift yourself up you sometimes need a management who can tell you to forget about the defeat because you have that ability. Two years back in Australia, India were folded for 36 in a Test match in Adelaide. Virat Kohli had returned home after that game. But the way the team was handled by Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun, Ajinkya Rahane, Vikram Rathour, Sridhar, who instilled that belief. Pakistan need that kind of support and they still can turn things around),” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“Kabhi kabhi waise demoralising hota hai. Aap apne aap ko lift nehi kar sakte. Lift karne kiliye apke jo management hai woh waise chaiye jo aapko bol sake ki haa ho gaya but aapke paas woh qabiliyat hai. Yehi pe, do saal pehle, India Adelaide main 36 all-out ho gayi thi. Kohli wapas chale gaye the. Ajinkya Rahane captain the. Jis tarike se Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun, Ajinkya Rahane, Vikram Rathour, Sridhar, unhone team ko samhala aur confidence diya. Aur maine dekha hai ki jab Kohli nehi rehta hai toh baki ke players sochte hai ki kaise uske jaga ko compensate karein. Waisa agar Pakistan ke paas hota, waisa support staff jo team ko bol sakta hai ki chalo...abhi bhi ho sakta hai. (Sometimes it can be demoralising. But to lift yourself up you sometimes need a management who can tell you to forget about the defeat because you have that ability. Two years back in Australia, India were folded for 36 in a Test match in Adelaide. Virat Kohli had returned home after that game. But the way the team was handled by Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun, Ajinkya Rahane, Vikram Rathour, Sridhar, who instilled that belief. Pakistan need that kind of support and they still can turn things around),” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Pakistan are still in with a mathematical chance of making the semis. Needless to say they still need to win the remaining matches, but they also need other factors to fall in place.