On Sunday (September 21), India will face Pakistan for the second time in the ongoing Asia Cup. The previous fixture on September 14 was a one-sided encounter that India won by seven wickets with 25 balls to spare. While that match didn't have much in terms of competitiveness, the events thereafter have added spice to the second fixture.
Watch: Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria says, "This always happens: when there is an issue, instead of taking responsibility, they (Pakistani cricket team) keep blaming others. While the focus should have been on questioning the selectors - asking them, 'You were entrusted… pic.twitter.com/ezmWUv27pm
— IANS (@ians_india) September 21, 2025
India's decision not to shake hands before and after the game had polarised reactions worldwide and particularly upset the Pakistan camp. In fact, it seemed like Salman Ali Agha and co would boycott the UAE fixture as a form of protest, because their demand to remove Andy Pycroft as match referee for the remainder of the tournament was rejected by the ICC. Pakistan even skipped the pre-match press conference but then, in a comedy of errors, eventually took the field to play UAE and won the fixture to progress to the Super 4s. A day before the second India game, Pakistan once again skipped the press conference, raising doubts over another potential boycott.
It is learnt that Pakistan opted to skip the press conference after knowing that Pycroft would once again be the match referee for the India-Pakistan game. Amidst all these off-field controversies, they seem to be getting distracted and this is what former cricketer Danish Kaneria told in his YouTube channel. Known to be brutally honest, Kaneria opined that his country's cricket structure is in total shambles and feels that these off-field incidents are being used as tropes of diversion from the major cricketing issues.
"Pakistan cricket is in a pathetic state right now. This always happens: when there is an issue (handshake snub), instead of taking responsibility, they keep blaming others," Kaneria said to IANS.
“The selectors were entrusted with the responsibility of 22 crore people. What team did you select? What coaching assignments did you give? What was your game plan, strategy, and approach?"
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Kaneria minced no words in comparing the skill levels of the two teams and stated that he wasn't surprised with the one-sided result in the previous fixture. India have been a dominant side in the shortest format over the last two years, also winning the T20 World Cup during this phase while Pakistan's performances have been a mixed bag in T20Is. Kaneria feels that his team have a lot of work to do if they are to catch up with their Indian counterparts.
“Pakistan is not playing well as expected, while India is a top-tier team. Judging by their performance in the last game, it is clear that Pakistan’s team is not better than the Indian team."
