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The India National Cricket Team has progressed well since 2007 in the white-ball format of the game. MS Dhoni was appointed captain of the side just before the inaugural T20 World Cup 2007 in South Africa. After India’s comprehensive win over West Indies, former Pakistan batter Mohammad Yousuf has shared his insights on the development of Indian and Pakistani cricketers.
There is a massive difference between the two cricketing nations as of now, as the quality and the pool of cricketers that India has now is nowhere near that of Pakistan. Their rivalry has also been one-sided in every major tournament. This has been in Men’s cricket, and also in Women’s Cricket; the difference has been huge.
"The Indian board made the right calls, like appointing MS Dhoni": Mohammad Yousuf on India-Pakistan vast difference
While speaking on a YouTube podcast, Mohammad Yousuf stated that the moment when Indian cricket went ahead was the appointment of MS Dhoni as the captain in the 2007 T20 World Cup, while Pakistan cricket made wrong calls during that time, and this is why they have been struggling. He also mentioned how Rahul Dravid managed the U-19 side and the Centre of Excellence (CoE).
“It was a decisive moment for both cricket boards, and I just feel that after that, the Indian board made the right calls, like appointing MS Dhoni, etc., while in contrast, in Pakistan, the wrong calls were made, because of which Pakistan cricket is struggling now,” Yousuf said on a YouTube podcast (as quoted by NDTV).
“India's success also comes down to the way Rahul Dravid managed their junior cricket, and over the years, the work he put in identifying and grooming players has paid off for them now,” he said.
Mohammad Yousuf praises Virat Kohli
Mohammad Yousuf also mentioned that Virat Kohli is the best white-ball player of the modern era, and he also feels that Pakistan cricket post-2019 has not been able to produce someone close to Virat or Babar Azam to compete at the top level. He compared it to the 80s and 90s era, when they had a bunch of talent.
“I think Virat (Kohli) is the best white-ball player of this era. Unfortunately, after 2019, we have not produced the sort of players you need to maintain dominance at the top level, the sort of players we had in the 80s or 90s,” Yousuf said.
"Players didn't want to learn": Mohammad Yousuf slams Pakistan cricketers for not being hard-working
Yousuf also mentioned that the current players do not want to work hard and learn new things, citing his experience as the batting coach of the team, as he felt that the batters did not put in the extra effort to get better over the period of time. He feels that the game is more about learning new things every day; once they feel they know everything, the results get worse.
“The unfortunate part is that I feel some of these current players don't want to also put in the extra hours and hard work. I have been a batting coach with the Pakistan team, and I can tell you at times felt these players didn't want to learn,” he said.
“Cricket is a sport where no matter how much you have played, you learn something new every day. The moment you think you know everything is when you start going downhill,” Yousuf added.
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