As expected, India vs Pakistan gave us a bucketful of controversies to discuss. And these controversies persisted before, during and beyond the Asia Cup 2025 encounter between the two sides. But apart from what went down, including the turning down of Handshakes, the "Boycott Asia Cup" protests, Sunil Gavaskar made some pretty darning statements about Pakistan's performance on the night.
Also Read: Asia Cup: Not just Pakistan players, match officials also snubbed handshakes by India.
The Indian cricket legend did not shy away from ridiculing the Men in Green on the official broadcast at the end of the match. After India chased down 129 in just over 15 overs, and Suryakumar Yadav finished off with a six, Sunil Gavaskar reasoned that this was a far cry from the proud legacy of Pakistan's cricketing history.
But what followed was a total humiliation with words. Sunil Gavaskar commented, “I don’t know whether Ajay [Jadeja], Irfan [Pathan] and Veeru [Sehwag] will agree with me or not. But I have been watching Pakistan’s team since 1960, when I used to run from Churchgate station to Brabourne Stadium to see Hanif Mohammad sahab. And this time in this match, for the first time after years, I felt that this is not Pakistan’s team, this is some Popatwadi team."
As if the one-sided match wasn't enough, Gavaskar's words rubbed salt into the wounds of the Pakistan side. The little master's words weren't that out of the blue, as it was aimed at Pakistan's very poor batting performance. Sunil Gavaskar talked about India's spin trio of Axar, Varun, and Kuldeep, who bowled 63 dot balls, underlining how clueless the Pakistani batting lineup was at the crease.
Sunil Gavaskar wasn't the only legend to speak out on Pakistan's inability to pick up Kuldeep. Wasim Akram, one of Pakistan's very own, highlighted his former team's struggles against the Chinaman bowler. He admitted on Sony Sports, “It’s just the way he bowls. They can’t read him. Sunny bhai himself said, unless and until you read him from the hand, you won’t be able to understand that type of bowling. When they sweep against Kuldeep every second ball, it means you are not reading him.”
He added that it was sad to watch the young core of Pakistani batters, including their skipper, playing over 10 overs of dot balls and failing to pick their bowlers and read the situation. He further added, "Everyone was chasing a strike rate of 150."
And well, if it isn't already clear, they failed to achieve even close to that strike rate after finishing their innings at 128 for 9. That too was only because Shaheen Shah Afridi held fort with the bat in hand.
