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Jason Gillespie dismissed Sunil Gavaskar’s claim that an Indian B-team could beat Pakistan as ‘absolute nonsense’, urging Pakistan to support and be patient with their players.
Jason Gillespie and Sunil Gavaskar. (Photos: AFP)
Former Australia bowler Jason Gillespie has called Sunil Gavaskar‘s opinion that even a second-string Indian side could beat Pakistan ‘absolute nonsense’. The former Pakistan head coach believes that the only thing stopping the Men in Green from succeeding is their lack of efforts to back the right players.
In an interview with Sports Today, Gavaskar had said that an Indian ‘B-team’ could ‘certainly’ compete with Pakistan while he was not sure if a ‘C-team’ could. He was speaking after the 2025 Champions Trophy clash between the two teams where India trounced Pakistan by four wickets.
“I don’t buy this rhetoric,” Gillespie, who worked as Pakistan’s head coach for a few months in 2023, said in a video shared by Pakistan journalist Saj Sadiq. “I saw some comments from Sunil Gavaskar about the Indian B team or Indian C team beating Pakistan’s top team. That’s nonsense. Absolute nonsense. If Pakistan pick and stick with the right players and give them time to shine, time to learn, and develop their games, they can beat anyone. I have got no doubt about that.”
“They are high in talent. You just have to pick the right kind of talent. You have to support them and be patient with them. There’s far too much impatience, in my opinion, in Pakistan cricket,” he added.
“If the PCB, as a board, wants to change and get the right results, they need to get the right people, the right selection panel, and give players time to flourish and do their job. If you are hiring a new coach, give him the opportunity to do something meaningful, give him the time. Otherwise, the results are going to be the same,” he added.
Gillespie was appointed as Pakistan’s Test coach in April for a two-year term and quit in December amid reports of a breakdown in relations with the board and a lack of decision-making power on selection.
He was replaced by Aaqib Javed on an interim basis, who oversaw one of the most forgettable Champions Trophy campaigns for a team. As hosts, Pakistan failed to win a single group-stage match (one was washed out) and failed to make it to the semi-finals.
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