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Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has offered a significant assessment of Pakistan‘s prospects for recovery in the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup 2023 following their disheartening loss to India in Ahmedabad.
Pakistan’s disheartening defeat to India
Pakistan encountered a demoralizing setback, marking their eighth defeat against India in CWC history when the two teams clashed on October 14. In what initially appeared to be a favorable position, with Pakistan reaching 155/2, the team’s fortunes took a drastic turn as they were eventually bowled out for a mere 191 runs after being put into bat.
Despite a promising 80-run partnership between Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan’s innings witnessed a catastrophic fall. The Indian pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj played a pivotal role in dismantling the partnership and sent Pakistan’s last 8 wickets tumbling for just 36 runs. In response, fueled by Rohit Sharma‘s blazing 86-run innings, India secured a commanding 7-wicket victory over Pakistan.
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Sourav Ganguly’s assessment of Pakistan’s world cup 2023 prospects
While Pakistan commenced their World Cup campaign with wins against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka in Hyderabad, their loss to India exposed vulnerabilities in their batting lineup. Ganguly, a cricket legend, expressed his skepticism about Pakistan’s ability to recover from such a resounding defeat, particularly given their batting struggles when faced with pressure.
“It will be hard for Pakistan to come back in this World Cup with this batting,” Ganguly said to Times Now.
“During our time Pakistan was a different team, this is not the type of Pakistan team we used to play. This team can’t handle the pressure during the batting,” the 51-year-old concluded.
Pakistan upcoming challenge against Australia
As Pakistan prepares for their upcoming match against Australia in Bengaluru on October 20, Ganguly’s remarks underscore the challenges and uncertainties surrounding Pakistan’s World Cup journey.
