Key facts
- Pakistan coach calls India 'best team by a mile'
- Coach criticises the habit of judging Pakistan solely against India
Pakistan's head coach has delivered a pointed rebuke to pundits and critics who judge his team almost exclusively through the lens of their rivalry with India, saying plainly that India are 'the best team by a mile'. He argued that holding Pakistan to an India-centric standard is an unfair and reductive way to assess his side's progress and capabilities.
The comments reflect a frustration within the Pakistan camp that is rarely voiced so openly. While India vs Pakistan remains the most watched and commercially significant fixture in world cricket, the coach's point is that Pakistan's performances across all formats and against all opponents deserve to be evaluated independently.
The remarks come at a time when Pakistan cricket is navigating a period of transition, with questions around consistency and leadership. By framing India as the undisputed best side, the coach effectively resets the conversation — acknowledging Indian dominance while simultaneously arguing that his team should not be defined solely by that one fixture or comparison.
For Indian fans, the coach's candid assessment of India's standing will be received with satisfaction. But his broader point — that cricket's second-biggest rivalry can overshadow honest appraisal of Pakistan's cricket — is one that resonates with analysts who have long noted how subcontinental narratives tend to collapse all discussion into a single, high-voltage matchup.
