'Even die-hard cricket fans won't know their names': Ex-India star slams Pakistan’s young team

NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Nikhil Chopra has delivered a stinging assessment of Pakistan’s transitional squad at the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, arguing that the side lacks the star power and recognition that once made them a force in world cricket.

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With Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan shown the door from the T20I setup, Pakistan have entered the Asia Cup under new leadership. Salman Ali Agha now leads a young unit featuring Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris and Hasan Nawaz, while Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Fakhar Zaman remain the few survivors from the previous core.


Chopra, however, feels the current squad is far removed from the golden era of the 1990s, when Pakistan boasted household names.


“And no disrespect to the Pakistan side, but if you look at their team and ask any kid on the streets to name their top three or top four players, some of these kids, even die-hard cricket fans who follow the T20 format, won’t know the names. But if you ask them about the ’90s cricket heroes from Pakistan, they’ll remember,” Chopra told NDTV.

In contrast, Chopra underlined the depth of India’s talent pool, pointing out that every member of the squad has a track record of winning matches. He said the selectors’ decision to leave out Yashasvi Jaiswal — a young batter who has already made waves in international cricket — was a sign of India’s embarrassment of riches.



“The difference is, when you look at the 11 or you look at the 15 for India, there are match winners, experienced players, and world-beating stars. Somebody like Yashasvi Jaiswal has not even got an opportunity in the 15, so you can imagine the good headache Ajit Agarkar and the rest of the team management have,” he added.

India have already flexed their muscles in the Asia Cup, thrashing hosts UAE in their opener. Kuldeep Yadav (4 wickets) and Shivam Dube (3 wickets) bundled out the opposition for just 57 runs, before Abhishek Sharma and vice-captain Shubman Gill powered India to a nine-wicket win in just 4.3 overs.

Chopra’s remarks reflect the growing gulf between the two arch-rivals ahead of their blockbuster clash.

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