Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke said there is a gulf between India and Pakistan after the former clinched a resounding 61-run win against the latter at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Sunday. India posted an above-par score of 175 runs on the board after they were put into bat by Salman Ali Agha.
Indian opener Ishan Kishan took the game away from Pakistan in the Powerplay overs, completing his fifty off just 27 balls. Kishan went on to score 77 runs off just 40 balls, including 10 fours and three maximums.
On the other hand, Pakistan were bowled out for 114 runs in the run-chase as batting crumbled like ninepins.
“I think now, there is a distinct gap between the two teams. India have been ahead for a long time now and there is a significant gap. I don’t know what Pakistan do. If you look through their list, there might be few of their more senior players who have been good, but in regards to T20 cricket, this might be their final hurrah. They might look at the PSL and some young talent coming through there,” Michael Clarke said on the ‘Beyond23 Cricket Podcast’.
Clarke, the 2015 World Cup-winning captain, said Pakistan were outplayed by India after all the drama regarding their participation against the rivals.
“I expected India to win. It has been a bit of a circus regarding Pakistan playing the tournament but not playing the India game. So from a player’s perspective, it doesn’t help, but they were outperformed. India is a much better team than Pakistan in this format and have been for a while now,” he said.
The former Aussie skipper said India’s performances surprise no one but they would want Abhishek Sharma to get back amongst the runs after the opener was dismissed for a duck.
“India’s performances doesn’t surprise anyone. They are playing really good cricket. The only one that would like some runs under his belt, and he is an absolute superstar, is Abhishek Sharma. Powerplay is important for this team. So India would like to see him make a score before they get into the Super 8s and semifinals. They are the team to beat,” he added.
India will next take on the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Wednesday.
