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Sunil Gavaskar vehemently criticized those who entertained the notion that India deliberately aimed to lose their Super 4 match against Sri Lanka during the 2023 Asia Cup. As India celebrated their record-extending 8th Asia Cup win, Gavaskar was unforgiving in his condemnation of anyone who even briefly entertained the idea that Rohit Sharma and his team intentionally wanted to lose to deny Pakistan a place in the final.
The India vs. Sri Lanka match last Wednesday proved to be one of the most closely-fought contests of the Asia Cup 2023. Sri Lanka gave India a real scare before Rohit and his men eventually secured victory by a margin of 41 runs. However, during moments when India found themselves in trouble, firstly being bowled out for a modest 213 and later facing a counter-attacking partnership from Dhananjaya de Silva and Dunith Wellalage, a section of the public, particularly those across the border, were quick to jump to conclusions and hint at a so-called 'conspiracy' to eliminate Pakistan from the competition.
Gavaskar wasted no time in denouncing these baseless allegations and criticized individuals for harboring such ludicrous theories. After Pakistan was officially knocked out, having lost the virtual semifinal to Sri Lanka, Gavaskar half-expected more conspiracy theories to surface. Nonetheless, he wasn't surprised when Pakistan and its media directed their frustration towards captain Babar Azam.
Gavaskar's rebuke was sharp and to the point: "What a resounding rebuke to all those across the Western border who were clamoring and shouting that India, after being dismissed for 213 against Sri Lanka, was deliberately losing the game to prevent Pakistan from reaching the final. Did these thoughtless individuals even consider the possibility that if India lost to Sri Lanka and Pakistan beat Sri Lanka, and then the India vs. Bangladesh game got rained off, it would be India who would not have qualified for the final? So why on earth would India intentionally lose to Sri Lanka? It's sheer idiocy," Gavaskar expressed in his column for Mid-Day.
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