During the recent Asia Cup 2023 match between India and Pakistan, which ended in a draw due to rain, Gautam Gambhir expressed his surprise at seeing players from both teams engaging in friendly conversations on the field.
While it’s natural for players to be friendly off the field, Gambhir believes that when representing their national teams, they should maintain a competitive spirit and leave the camaraderie aside during the game.
He emphasized that players should have a game face on when they are on the field for their respective nations, and friendship should stay outside the boundary ropes. According to Gambhir, those hours of play are crucial because players aren’t just representing themselves but also their entire nations, which is a responsibility they should take seriously.
Gautam Gambhir – When you play on the field for your national team, you must leave the friendship outside the boundary ropes. Game face hona zaroori hai. Dosti bahaar rehni chahiye. There has to be an aggression in the eyes of both sets of players.#INDvPAK #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/KCfvwZUsV5
— Abhijeet ♞ (@TheYorkerBall) September 2, 2023
Gambhir mentioned that in today’s cricket, it’s common to see players from rival teams patting each other on the back and exchanging fist bumps during matches, a trend that was less prevalent in the past. He believes that this friendly behavior is more suited to exhibition matches rather than competitive ones.
As an example, Gambhir shared his friendship with former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal, explaining that they are good friends off the field and have even exchanged bats. However, he still maintains that such camaraderie should be kept away from the intensity of international cricket matches.
Gautam Gambhir also addressed the topic of sledging, stating that banter and verbal exchanges between players are acceptable as long as they don’t cross the line and become personal. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a level of respect and sportsmanship on the field, even during intense and competitive moments. Sledging should be within the boundaries of fair play and not involve personal attacks or offensive remarks.
As for the match, Team India were left in a huge spot of bother after Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s decision to bat was proven wrong as Pakistani quick bowlers managed to reduce the Indian team to 4 wickets for just 66 runs.
But then Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya formed a strong partnership that saw Team India eventually post 266 runs on the board. Pakistan never got to bat in the match since persistent rain never allowed the 2nd inning to be played in Pallakele.
