Gautam Gambhir may be a familiar Pakistan nemesis on the field but the aggressive opener does not think Younus Khan and his men tanked their match against Australia in the Champions Trophy.
Gautam Gambhir may be a familiar Pakistan nemesis on the field but the aggressive opener does not think Younus Khan and his men tanked their match against Australia in the Champions Trophy.
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All hell broke loose after Pakistan's semi-final defeat in the Champions Trophy with Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports MNA Jamshed Dasti accusing the players of involving in match-fixing.
Gambhir, however, threw his weight behind the Pakistani players and said he did not believe it.
"I don't think any professional cricketer would do that, Pakistan, India or any country," said the left-hander.
"After all, cricket has given them everything. Whatever fame they have or whatever they achieved is because of cricket. If you ask me, I don't believe Pakistan intentionally lost that game," Gambhir told CNN-IBN channel.
The Delhi player attributed it to the frustration of the common fans who just cannot digest the defeat of their team.
"That's the kind of expectation people have in the sub-continent, whether it's India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka.
"They expect you to win each and every game whenever you walk out but it is not possible because you will have some bad days, sometimes you cannot play to your potentials and sometimes you cannot give your 100 per cent," he explained.
"People have to be more realistic. There will be time when things would not go our way and people need to still support the players," Gambhir added.
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