Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has expressed his disappointment with the Pakistani team in light of India’s impressive display in the second T20I against Bangladesh at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
While India celebrates a triumphant comeback, having won the T20 World Cup 2024 after a heartbreaking loss at the 2023 ODI World Cup, Pakistan finds itself on a downward spiral, struggling with poor performances in recent global events.
Pakistan is currently facing the prospect of a crushing defeat against England in the first Test of a three-match series, compounded by a humiliating home defeat to Bangladesh.
In a recent discussion on his YouTube channel, Basit emphasized a critical mental aspect lacking in Pakistan’s cricket management, saying, “The thought process is very important, which is missing in Pakistan cricket. India rested Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, but nobody rests in our team. Please learn something from India.”
Basit also praised Indian players Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh for their explosive innings against Bangladesh in the second T20I. Reddy shone with a blistering 74 off 34 balls, while Singh contributed with 53 runs from 29 deliveries. The duo’s match-saving partnership of 108 runs propelled India to a total of 221/9, leading to an 86-run victory over Bangladesh.
“The kind of sixes that Nitish hit should be called ‘Athhe’ (powerful shots in Urdu) and not just sixes. And then Rinku Singh is Michael Bevan after all,” Basit remarked.
He also lauded Gautam Gambhir’s approach of consistently backing young talent, something he believes has been missing in Pakistan’s cricket strategy.
“Even if they flop, Gautam won’t stop backing them because they pick players and make them, and this is the best example of that,” he added.
The match saw Bangladesh winning the toss and electing to bowl first, but India was initially in trouble at 41/3. Hardik Pandya’s cameo of 32 runs helped stabilize the innings.
Despite Bangladesh's efforts to keep up with the run rate during the chase, they continuously lost wickets, with Mahmadullah’s 41 runs being the only notable contribution. Ultimately, Bangladesh was bowled out for 135, losing by 86 runs.
For India, Varun Chakravarthy and Nitish Kumar Reddy were standout bowlers, taking 2 wickets each for 19 and 23 runs, respectively. The victory secured India’s dominance in the three-match series, clinching it with a 2-0 lead.
Nitish Kumar Reddy’s all-round performance earned him the ‘Player of the Match’ award, further highlighting the growing prowess of India’s young talents
