Pakistan coach breaks his silence on struggles against spin after huge loss to India in Asia Cup 2023

Pakistan’s coach Grant Bradburn has made his first comments after the comprehensive loss to India. The men in green lost the game to India played over two days by a massive 228-run margin. The loss hurt Pakistan massively as they now have slipped to third in the Super-Four points table.

The main destroyer of the Pakistani batting unit was none other than Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm wrist spinner picked 5/25 to dismantle the Pakistani batting unit. This was Kuldeep Yadav’s second ODI five-wicket haul. The surrender from the batting unit of Pakistan has come weeks ahead of ODI World Cup 2023.

Grant Bradburn thanks India for the ‘Gift’ –

Mere hours after losing the game to India, it was time to introspect for the Pakistani team. Grand Bradburn broke his silence and had his say on the huge loss. The Pakistani coach thanked the Indian team as they got ready to play Sri Lanka next.

Grant Bradburn said “We're very grateful for the gift that has been these last two days because to come at this stage of the tournament - and to come before the World Cup - it's a wonderful opportunity first to play India”

The Pakistani coach also said that the experience will come in handy with the World Cup coming closer. Grant Bradburn further said “We don't get to play some of the best players in the world very often. Also to play in conditions that may be similar to the World Cup”

Pakistan came into the tournament having climbed up to the world number 1 ranking in the ODI format. The Pakistani team had beaten Afghanistan with a 3-0 margin before beating Nepal by 238 runs to start their Asia Cup campaign. This was followed by a rained-out game against India before beating Bangladesh by 7 wickets.

The Pakistani coach speaking on the loss also said “We haven't lost a game for three months, and it's a timely reminder for us to turn up every day, put our best in the park. It's actually a gift that over the last two days we haven't quite done that”

Kuldeep Yadav ran through the middle-order and lower middle–order of Pakistan to claim 5/25. The assault began with the wicket of Fakhar Zaman who was out bowled for 27, Grant Bradburn though kept his faith in his batters.

The Pakistani coach was fully behind his batters when he said "Our batting unit hasn't quite clicked yet over the past month, and we feel that's a positive thing. We have full trust in them. We are very consistent in our selection”. Pakistan next plays Sri Lanka on Thursday with a place in the final still up for grabs. That though depends on the India versus Sri Lanka game and the result that game can throw up.