The decline of Pakistan’s cricket team in recent years has sparked endless debate and speculation worldwide.
Under Mohammad Rizwan’s leadership, the team failed to secure a single victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, despite hosting the tournament, and suffered an early exit in the group stage.
Pakistan’s disappointing performance was so stark that Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar claimed even India’s B team could defeat them.
However, former Pakistan coach Jason Gillespie—who was dismissed before the tournament—strongly disagrees with Gavaskar’s assessment.
Gillespie dismissed the remarks as “absolute nonsense” and emphasized the importance of selecting the right players and giving them time to develop in order to move the team forward.
“I don’t buy this rhetoric. I saw some comments from Sunil Gavaskar about the Indian B team or Indian C team would beat the Pakistan top team. That’s nonsense. Absolute nonsense. If Pakistan pick and stick with the right players and give them time to shine and, time to learn and develop their games, they can beat anyone. I’ve got no doubt about that,” said Gillespie.
Jason Gillespie “I saw some comments from Sunil Gavaskar about the Indian B or C team would beat the Pakistan top team, that’s nonsense”
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) March 7, 2025
Gavaskar stated that he is confident India’s B team could comfortably defeat Pakistan, though he wasn’t sure if the same could be said for their C team.
“I think a B team (from India) certainly (can give Pakistan a run for their money). C team, I am not too sure. But a B team will be very, very hard to beat for Pakistan in their current form,” Gavaskar had said in a chat on Sports Today.
The Pakistan cricket team has seen numerous changes in recent years, from leadership shifts to selection panel adjustments and board restructuring.
With their failure to reach the Champions Trophy semi-finals, more changes are likely as part of an expected knee-jerk reaction.
