'Pakistan Cannot Compete With India' | Sportsmonks
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‘Pakistan Cannot Compete With India’

Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that the current Pakistan team doesn’t have the quality and experience to compete with India. The Men in Green are 7th in the ICC ODI rankings and have suffered two heavy losses against arch-rivals India this Asia Cup.

Following a comprehensive victory in the group stage, Sarfraz Ahmed and co. endured a nine-wicket defeat in the Super Four versus India. A mere total of 237 coupled with an ordinary bowling effort proved too costly for their liking as the Blues cruised to a victory with nine wickets and 10.3 overs to spare.

India’s one-time spin sensation Harbhajan Singh wasn’t surprised by the margin of defeats as he claimed that there is a huge difference between India and Pakistan at the moment in terms of skill and quality.

Speaking to India Today, the off-spinner stated, 'There's a big difference between these two teams. This Pakistani team doesn't have it in them to compete with the Indian team. They were only playing the game but not to win. India are the No.1 contender to win the Asia Cup. India remain the favourites.'

Rohit Sharma and his deputy Shikhar Dhawan smashed centuries each to guide their side to a win. They put up a 210-run opening partnership – second best in all India-Pakistan ODIs. Heaping praise on their prowess and the experience amongst the team, Harbhajan commented,

'Rohit is a class apart. Shikhar is a very talented batsman. The kind of bowling attack we have it's tough to compete against us. India have the experience…MS Dhoni, Rohit, Dhawan, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar and even Ambati Rayudu.'

Pakistan’s middle-order weapon Shoaib Malik struck a 90-ball 78, but lack of partnerships and a finishing touch to the innings restricted them to a below-par total.

'In Pakistan, barring Shoaib Malik there's no other player who has this kind of exposure. That is the difference between the two teams,' he continued.

On the back of four consecutive wins, India stormed to the final of the tournament. If Pakistan upstage Bangladesh on 26 September, the two teams will play for the third time in this competition.

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