World Cup 2023: 'We were not up to the mark...', Babar Azam's scathing criticism after Pak slump vs India

Pakistan captain Babar Azam was scathing in his assessment after his side succumbed in a rather timid manner to arch rivals India in the ongoing World Cup. Speaking at the post-match ceremony at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Babar said the Pakistani team was not up to the task on the day.

Put in to bat first, the Pakistani side crumbled after getting a decent start as Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan failed to capitalise on starts.

"We started well. We got a good partnership going. We just planned to play normal cricket and build partnerships, but suddenly we had a collapse in the middle order and did not finish well. Not good for us. The way we started, we wanted to target 280-290, but the collapse cost us. And the total was not good. With the new ball, probably we are not up to the mark. Different game, different situation," said Babar after the match.

The Pakistani skipper also praised his Indian counterpart, adding: "Rohit(Sharma) was outstanding today. We tried to take wickets and win the match, but didn't happen."

Rohit Sharma praises bowlers

Indian captain Rohit Sharma was all praise for his bowlers and said restricting the Pakistani batting lineup to 190 was a 'great effort'.

"The bowlers were the ones who set the game for us today as well. Restricting them to around 190 was a great effort. I don't think it was a 190-pitch. At one stage, we were looking at 280 or 270,"said Sharma.

"We've got six individuals who can do the job for us with the ball. It cannot be everyone's day every day. The guy who is having a good day needs to make sure he gets the job done for the team. And obviously, my job as the captain is important there as well - to read the conditions, assess who is the guy who can trouble the batters."

"All in all it's looking good. We don't want to get too excited or too low as well. We want to stay balanced and that's the key playing a tournament like the World Cup. We've got to keep calm, keep it balanced and keep moving forward."

With the win, India now find themselves on top of the points table and well on their way to securing a top 4 finish. The Men-in-Blue will now face Bangladesh next week on Thursday (Oct 19) at theMaharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.

(With inputs from agencies)

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