Former India spinner Murali Kartik acknowledged India's remarkable strength in cricket, emphasizing that even established players who have performed extremely well are finding it hard to get into the national team. His comments came after India’s dominant win over Pakistan in their Group A Asia Cup 2025 clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, September 14. Suryakumar Yadav’s side chased down the 128-run target with seven wickets to spare in just 15 overs.

Kartik pointed out how players like Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar, and Ruturaj Gaikwad, despite their proven talent, missed out on the Asia Cup squad. Sudharsan, the 2025 IPL Orange Cap winner, was one of the most notable omissions. He also highlighted how Punjab opener Abhishek Sharma set the tone against Pakistan by smashing Shaheen Shah Afridi for a six on the very first ball of the innings.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Kartik said, “Just think of the kind of players who are missing out. Somebody like Sai Sudharsan, an Orange cap holder, can’t make the side. Washington Sundar can’t make the side. Ruturaj Gaikwad can’t make the side. Arshdeep Singh can’t make the XI. These are the kind of players you are talking about.”

Kartik on IPL’s Standard vs International Cricket

The former left-arm spinner underlined how India’s fearless approach, especially Abhishek Sharma’s aggressive start, showed the sheer quality in the side. “Just the way they played yesterday. The first ball from Shaheen Shah Afridi is not even a sighter, which Abhishek Sharma needs. He runs down the track. That is the kind of talent you are talking about. Yesterday, India looked possibly the best from the side view. There was no comparison at all,” he said.

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Kartik further argued that the Indian Premier League is more competitive than international cricket. “Just think of the number of sides, and this is no disrespect to any side. We talk about international cricket, which means these are countries playing, and you just take the quality of all the IPL sides 1-10. Think of the 10th team, anybody, that is a year that could go wrong for any franchise, but think of the quality in the 10th-placed side that can actually beat most of the international sides. So IPL is a tough gig. It is tougher than international cricket,” he concluded. India have already sealed their Super-Four spot and will face Oman in their last group match on Friday, September 19, in Abu Dhabi.