It's tough to beat India in India, something to learn for other teams: Ramiz Raja

Ramiz Raja praised Team India after they defeated New Zealand on January 21 in Raipur, to clinch the ODI series with a game to spare. The former Pakistani cricketer and former PCB chair believes that Pakistan ought to observe how the Men in Blue rule in their own backyard. Since the 2019 World Cup, the Men in Blue have won 15 out of 19 ODIs at home, earning the veteran's admiration.

Ramiz Raja’s statement came after Rohit Sharma and company defeated New Zealand by eight wickets in the second One-Day International to grab a commanding 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Ahead of the ODI World Cup at home, Team India has already defeated the West Indies, Australia, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand in One-Day International series on home soil.

Speaking of India’s domination in their home games, Ramiz Raja, on his YouTube channel said:

“It's tough to beat India in India. This is something to learn for other sub-continent teams, including Pakistan. It's because Pakistan have enough potential, but the home performance in terms of results or series wins is not as consistent as Team India. This is an important milestone for India in the World Cup year.”

Unlike India, Pakistan have not managed to put up a decent show on home soil. The Babar Azam-led side recently lost an ODI series against New Zealand and also failed to win a Test match at home. While Pakistan lost the three-match series against England by 0-3, they failed to win either of the two Tests against New Zealand as the series ended in a stalemate.

Shubman Gill looks like a mini-Rohit Sharma: Ramiz

Apart from praising the Indian side, Ramiz Raja also praised India’s recent double-centurion Shubman Gill. The 23-year-old became the fifth Indian batter to score a double hundred in ODIs, and also became the youngest cricketer ever to achieve the feat. Gill is currently playing the New Zealand series as an opener alongside Rohit Sharma. He even compared the youngster with the Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma.

“Shubman Gill looks like a mini-Rohit Sharma. He has extra time and looks good. He has enough potential. Aggression will also develop with time. He doesn’t need to change anything. He scored a double hundred recently,” said the former PCB Chief.

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