• Home
  • Who Said What
  • Switched Channel After Sourav Ganguly Takes A Dig At Pakistans Quality In Asia Cup

"Switched Channel After...": Sourav Ganguly Takes A Dig At Pakistan's 'Quality' In Asia Cup

Soumyajit Dutta

Salman Agha and Sourav Ganguly [Source: @ANI/X.com]Salman Agha and Sourav Ganguly [Source: @ANI/X.com]

The one-sided nature of the latest India-Pakistan clash has drawn a sharp and dismissive response from former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly. The iconic skipper, known for his fierce leadership in historic wins over the arch-rivals, bluntly stated that the current Pakistani team does not command the attention or competitive respect of its storied predecessors.

Ganguly revealed that he found the spectacle so unengaging due to Pakistan's diminished standards that he switched channels midway through the match. His comments underscore a growing sentiment about the vast gulf that now exists between the two cricketing nations.

Ganguly Finds Pakistan No Longer Competitive

Speaking at an event in Kolkata, Dada did not mince words when assessing the quality of the modern Pakistani side, recalling the legendary players of the past to highlight the stark contrast.

"Pakistan are no longer a competitive side now, I switched my TV sets to watch the Manchester derby after the first 15 overs. I would watch India play Australia, England, South Africa, even Afghanistan, rather than watching Pakistan," Ganguly said at the event.


"There is no competition between India and Pakistan anymore. I always say, we think of Pakistan as Waqar Younises, Wasim Akrams, the Saeed Anwars and Javed Miandads. But that's not the case with this modern-day Pakistan - it's now like chalk and cheese," Ganguly added.

Ganguly Praises India's Depth

Sourav Ganguly emphasised that India's dominance is a testament to its robust system and depth, which allows it to thrive even without its modern greats, a luxury Pakistan cannot afford.

"Pakistan are no match. I say that with respect, it's just because I've seen what their team was. It's the lack of quality on the side. This (Indian) team has played without (Virat) Kohli and Rohit (Sharma), who were the two stalwarts of Indian cricket for such a long period of time. India is just too far ahead in cricket for Pakistan and most of these Asia Cup teams," Ganguly stated.

Concluding his thoughts, Ganguly addressed the larger geopolitical context that often surrounds these matches, separating the imperative of global security from the spirit of sport. Ganguly emphasised that terrorism must end everywhere, not just in India and Pakistan, but also stressed that sports should not come to a halt.