Sunil Gavaskar mocked England after their Champions Trophy exit, responding to Jos Buttler’s “unique tournament” remark. He suggested England might even blame India instead of accepting their poor performance.
Highlights:
- Sunil Gavaskar took a sly dig at England after their Champions Trophy exit, mocking them for making excuses instead of accepting defeat.
- Afghanistan’s 8-run win over England knocked Jos Buttler’s team out of the Champions Trophy.
Afghanistan knocked England out of the Champions Trophy 2025 with a thrilling 8-run victory on February 26 in Lahore. Jos Buttler’s side, aiming for redemption after losing to Australia, fell short against a determined Afghan team. Despite their own setback against South Africa, Afghanistan put on a spirited performance to eliminate the defending champions.
Afghanistan sealed a historic win over England, defending a target of 326 runs with a brilliant all-round performance. Ibrahim Zadran’s record-breaking century set the stage, while Azmatullah Omarzai’s stunning five-wicket haul dismantled England’s chase. Despite Joe Root’s fighting 120 off 111 balls, England fell short, bowled out for 317 in 49.5 overs. Mohammad Nabi also chipped in with two crucial wickets, sealing Afghanistan’s thrilling victory.
ALSO READ: Champions Trophy: Afghanistan wins! Zadran 177, Omarzai 5 wkts. Eng out, fell short by 8 runs.
Sunil Gavaskar mocked England, saying they may blame India after their loss.
Afghanistan scored 325/7, led by Ibrahim Zadran’s 177 off 146 balls. Jofra Archer took three wickets, but Zadran’s knock set a tough target for England.
After England’s exit at the Gaddafi Stadium, Sunil Gavaskar hit back at Jos Buttler’s ‘unique tournament’ remark. Buttler had suggested India had an advantage by playing all their matches at the same venue. In response, Gavaskar criticized England’s tendency to blame others instead of focusing on improvement. He implied that England might even blame India for their struggles, pointing out that Rohit Sharma’s team played all their games in Dubai.
Sunil Gavaskar criticized England on the Dressing Room show, saying, “They will still come and start moaning the next morning. See, they cannot lose. If they lose, there has to be an excuse, and the excuse cannot be that they weren’t better that day or the other team was better; they will start blaming everything.”
Sunil Gavaskar further remarked, “They will start blaming India also because India are playing all their matches in Dubai, and why are we not playing our matches at one venue.”
Due to political tensions between India and Pakistan, Team India did not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. Instead, the ICC arranged for India to play all their matches at a neutral venue in Dubai.
India and New Zealand are the only teams to have qualified for the Champions Trophy so far. Meanwhile, England, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have been eliminated from the eight-team tournament.
