The gulf between the India and Pakistan teams has grown to an insurmountable extent over the years. On paper, India vs Pakistan remains one of the biggest rivalries in the game. But the Pakistan team can no longer match the level of cricket India play. The Asia Cup 2025 match between the two sides on Sunday once again proved India’s cricketing prowess while reducing Pakistan’s status as minnows. India legend Sunil Gavaskar went a step further and called Salman Agha’s side ‘popatwadi’, ridiculing their talent on the cricket field.
Gavaskar, who has faced some of the finest Pakistan teams during his active days in the sport, didn’t hesitate to troll India’s opponents on the day. The term ‘Popatwadi’ is a slang used in Mumbai’s local cricketing spectrum, which means a weak team.
Speaking to the broadcaster after the match on Sunday, Gavaskar said: “I don’t know whether Ajay [Jadeja], Viru [Virender Sehwag] or Irfan [Pathan] agree with me, but I have been following the Pakistan team from the 1960s – I remember I had once run all the way from Churchgate Station to the Wankhede Stadium to catch a glimpse of the great Hanif Mohammad. From there, I have watched Pakistan cricket keenly. But today is the first time I felt that this is not a Pakistan team. Yeh koi Popatwadi team hai (This is some local team.”
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Following the win, Indian players out in the middle – captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube – walked back to their dressing room without the customary handshake with Pakistani players. The gesture left the Pakistan team in surprise, and even their captain, Salman Agha, skipped the TV interview to mark his protest.
“Team manager Naveed Cheema lodged a strong protest against the Indian players’ behaviour of not shaking hands. It was deemed as unsporting and against the spirit of the game. As a protest, we did not send our captain to the post-match ceremony,” read a PCB statement.
However, Suryakumar Yadav gave a fitting response to the arch-rivals and dedicated the win to the armed forces who, in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed 26 lives on April 22, launched Operation Sindoor to kill the terrorists involved in the brutal killings of Indian nationals.
“We took a team call. We had come only to play. We had given them a reply. Some things are beyond sportsmanship. We dedicate this victory to our armed forces who took part in ‘Operation Sindoor’ and stand with families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack,” said Suryakumar after the win.
With IANS inputs