3 min learnUp to date: Mar 4, 2026 03:40 PM IST
Dinesh Karthik was at his hilarious greatest when calling out former England captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain for what that they had mentioned in regards to the benefit India had within the 2025 Champions Trophy when assessing how Pakistan have finished within the 2026 T20 World Cup. India performed all their matches on the Dubai Worldwide Stadium within the Champions Trophy whereas the opposite groups performed there and at three different grounds in Pakistan and went on to win that event.
Pakistan equally performed all their matches in two grounds at Colombo, besides for his or her Tremendous Eights fixtures which they performed in Pallekele whereas the remainder of the groups had longer distances to journey in India and Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, Pakistan didn’t make it to the semifinals. Karthik mentioned that he anticipated each Pakistan and Sri Lanka to do higher. “Sri Lanka as a result of residence circumstances, they’d do one thing,” mentioned Karthik on a Sky Sports activities Cricket podcast with Atherton and Hussain. “Usually they’re a group that wants a much bigger trigger and I felt that was the explanation (they may attain semis) however clearly that didn’t work out. After which I genuinely thought Pakistan purely as a result of they’ve performed persistently in Colombo, stayed in the identical lodge, know the pitches. And each you fossils mentioned that’s one of many predominant explanation why India did so properly within the Champions Trophy.
“By that very same accord they need to have finished one thing on this World Cup however clearly, it really works for one group and it doesn’t (for the opposite). So real lack of ability there. I backed Pakistan to say that they may simply combat much more however they misplaced many of the video games and in the long run virtually shedding to Sri Lanka was mad.”
Atherton and Hussain had been vital of India for refusing to play the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and acknowledged that the Rohit Sharma-led aspect had a bonus on different groups as they weren’t travelling like the remainder had been. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha was requested earlier than the beginning of the T20 World Cup if that they had an identical benefit and whereas he admitted that they did, he additionally acknowledged that they nonetheless must play properly to win the event as that’s what India did on the Champions Trophy.
“It is a bonus, the opposite groups will probably be travelling and staying in several resorts, enjoying at totally different grounds. We additionally will probably be enjoying totally different grounds in Colombo however will probably be staying on the identical lodge. However that doesn’t imply that we will win even when we don’t play good cricket,” mentioned Agha in a press convention during which Pakistan introduced their squad for the T20 World Cup.
“India performed properly there, that’s the reason they received. We additionally must do the identical, solely then will we win. However sure, there may be positively a bonus.”