The Indian cricket team is on a winning streak of 9 matches in the ongoing world cup and is just two favourable results away from glory. The Rohit Sharma-led side has sparkled across departments and has proved they are ahead of their competitors.
Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja says the manner in which Indian team has performed, they have displayed the gulf between a bigger and smaller teams.
“India have shown the difference between a bigger and a smaller teams. You can see the predictability when India plays. Throughout their world cup campaign, you know they are going to win. The team hasn’t lost focus, even against the Netherlands they were ruthless. Their reputation continues to grow,” Raja said on SUNO News.
Raja also took a shot at former Pakistan cricketer Hasan Raza for floating the conspiracy theory that the Indian bowlers are using a different ball compared to the other teams which is helping them generate seam and swing.
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“Yeah, it’s possible when Pakistan batters play, the cricket ball may start appearing like a golf ball to them. I don’t think there’s any another difference,” Raja quipped.
He then praised the ‘mastery’ of Indian pacers that has seen them steamroll their opponents and are the only team that didn’t concede 300 or more runs in an innings during the league stage of 2023 world cup.
“This is the magic – control, swing, seam movement. This is mastery. We should appreciate this. These kind of cricketers raise the level. A subcontinent team has set the level for others, why can’t Pakistan do that!” Raja wondered.
Pakistan had a forgettable outing as they finished fifth to be eliminated from the competition.
Raja, a former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, reckons the reason why India have marched ahead of their neighbours is that they have worked on their basics while Pakistan is still living in the past.
“They (India) have worked on their basics. We are living in the past and at the present, aren’t at the level of India. They have set a new standard in bowling. I have never seen such a strong Indian bowling line-up. They have so many legspin options but they haven’t needed to play a legspinner. After (Sunil) Gavaskar they had (Sachin) Tendulkar, then came (Virat) Kohli. The chain continues,” Raja said.
“There’s Azad maidan in Mumbai where kids learn to play cricket. There they are only practising forward defensive shot for half-an-hour,” he added.
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