T20 World Cup 2022: “2 years back, we were 36 all-out in Adelaide” - Sunil Gavaskar feels Pakistan missing Team India-like support staff 

Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar reckons that the Pakistan team might find it difficult to make a strong comeback in the T20 World Cup 2022 as they do not have a solid support staff.

Comparing Pakistan’s team management to that of the Men in Blue, he gave the example of the 2020-21 tour, when India overcame a disastrous performance in Adelaide and Virat Kohli’s absence to clinch the Test series.

Pakistan have got off to a forgettable start in the T20 World Cup 2022. After going down to arch-rivals India by four wickets in their first Super 12 match, they suffered a one-run loss to Zimbabwe.

While Pakistan are still not out of contention for a place in the semi-finals, Gavaskar feels it won’t be easy for Babar Azam and co. Speaking to India Today, he said:

“You should have that management that backs you even if you fail. Here (in Australia), two years back, we were 36 all-out in Adelaide in a Test match and then Kohli had gone back. Ajinkya Rahane took over the captaincy. Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun, Rahane, R Sridhar, Vikram Rathour, they all supported the team and gave them confidence.”

Following the embarrassment in Adelaide, India recovered in stunning fashion to win the Boxing Day Test by eight wickets. Stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane led from the front with a sublime hundred.

They pulled off a heist in Sydney, escaping with a draw, before breaching Australia’s fortress - The Gabba. India won the decider by three wickets to clinch a famous series win.

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“Whenever Kohli is unavailable, the other players look to make up for him” - Sunil Gavaskar

Praising the Indian team, Gavaskar stated that, in Kohli’s absence, the other players always tend to lift their game. According to him, this happens because they have the support staff, which gives them that backing and confidence. He elaborated:

“We have always seen that whenever Kohli is unavailable, the other players look to make up for him. They think, if we are scoring 50, we will score 80. We will score additional 30 runs to compensate for Kohli’s absence.”

Admitting that Pakistan can still make a comeback, Gavaskar concluded:

“If Pakistan had such a support staff that boosted their morale… It can still happen. Pakistan made a comeback and won the World Cup in 1992, but remember who the captain was back then!”

Pakistan’s remaining Super 12 matches in the T20 World Cup will be against the Netherlands (October 30), South Africa (November 3) and Bangladesh (November 6).