The heavy defeat suffered by Pakistan at the hands of India during the AsiaCup served as a crucial wake-up call, according to head coach GrantBradburn. He emphasized the importance of the team regrouping and improvingtheir performance ahead of the upcoming World Cup, which is scheduled fornext month in India. The crushing loss, with India securing a 228-runvictory over Pakistan in a rain-affected Super Four match of the 50-overtournament, raised concerns about Pakistan’s readiness for the globalcompetition.
The match itself saw India posting an imposing total of 356-2 in Colombo,following a rain delay that forced the game into a reserve day.Subsequently, they bowled out Pakistan for a mere 128 runs in just 32overs, marking India’s most significant ODI victory over their arch-rivals.Grant Bradburn expressed his perspective on the situation, stating, “My gutfeeling is that we are grateful for the gift that has been this last twodays.” He also acknowledged the rarity of opportunities to face some of theworld’s best players and the lessons that could be gleaned from suchencounters.
Furthermore, Bradburn reflected on Pakistan’s recent performance, noting,”We haven’t lost a game of cricket for the last three months, so it’s atimely reminder that we need to turn up every day, put in our best on thepark, and it’s actually a gift in the last two days we haven’t done that.”The decision to bowl first, after winning the toss, did not yield thedesired results for Pakistan, as India’s opening pair of Rohit Sharma andShubman Gill forged a formidable 121-run partnership. Virat Kohli and KLRahul then extended India’s dominance with centuries, accumulating apartnership worth 233 runs.
Acknowledging the comprehensive nature of their defeat, Bradburn stated,”We lost at all facets of the game. No excuses, we weren’t good enough inthe last two days.” Despite Pakistan’s previous success in rattling India’stop order with their bowling, Bradburn emphasized that India’s strongbatting performance was not surprising. He pointed out that whilePakistan’s bowling was renowned for its potency, the team needed to work onenhancing their batting prowess.
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In conclusion, Bradburn expressed confidence in Pakistan’s batting unit,despite recent struggles, and stressed the importance of consistency inselection. The defeat to India in the Asia Cup served as a valuable lesson,highlighting the need for Pakistan to address their shortcomings andprepare more effectively for the impending World Cup challenge
