"Don't think Pakistan players have any clue" - Former cricketer points to interesting Abhishek Sharma example after IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 clash

Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa opened up on the massive gulf between Team India and Pakistan after the 2025 Asia Cup clash between the sides, with the example of Abhishek Sharma. The young Indian opener has taken to international cricket like a fish to water, producing impactful performances with the bat in his still brief 19-match T20I career.

Abhishek boasts excellent T20I numbers with an average of over 33 and a strike rate of 195.40, including two centuries. Meanwhile, the Pakistan lineup has several youngsters who have started playing international cricket recently, similar to Abhishek.

Yet, they have struggled to predominantly cope with the international standards, evidenced by their dismal performance against India. Pakistan faltered with the ball, scoring only 127 in their 20 overs.

Talking about the difference in class between the Indian and Pakistani batters post-match, Uthappa said on his YouTube channel (4:56):

"There is a percentage of getting that to work in your favor and you stay within that range. So there is a lot of knowledge about your own batting and what works for you. And I don't think the Pakistan players have any clue about what their method to their madness is or how they'll score their runs. Let's just take a youngster. Abhishek Sharma has just started playing international cricket in the last 18 months, similar to the Pakistani blokes."

He continued:

"Just the way he approached his batting despite being aggressive, he showed mindfulness. Even though he was hitting in the air, he was doing so on the off side. He timed the ball for sixes over covers and long-off. Yes, it's power, yes you want to score boundaries at a quick rate, but there is a method to it."

Abhishek looked a class apart from the Pakistan batters as he effectively sealed India's run-chase with a quickfire 31 off 13 deliveries. The Men in Blue eventually completed the task in a mere 15.5 overs with the loss of only three wickets.

"You have to be also realistic about what the team is" - Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa further expressed surprise at the disappointment from the Pakistan fans about their side's struggles. He urged the fans and the broadcasters to be realistic about their expectations from the Pakistan side during the rebuilding phase.

"When you listen to the conversation in the broadcast room or among the journalists, you hear a massive sense of disappointment from the Pakistan contingent. But you have to be also realistic about what the team is. It is a young side minus any experience in the top seven apart from Fakhar Zaman. They need to build towards figuring out how to score runs at the international level but it feels like there is no room for that," said Uthappa (via the aforementioned source).

Pakistan have been no match to Team India across formats, losing their last six completed games.