What separates India cricket from Pakistan cricket? Why is it that one neighbour, who was no match to them until the 20th century, is now the best team in the world by some distance? Former England cricketer Mark Butcher believes ‘selfish’ and ‘selfless’ are the answer.
No ‘I’ in ‘team’
It’s his opinion that Pakistan still values personal milestones and superstar cricketers over the need. Whereas India has reached a stage where they realise there is no ‘I’ in the word ‘team’.
“There’s quite a stark contrast there in the way that their neighbours from the north (west) in Pakistan are still stuck in the idea of personal milestones and individual superstars. Gautam Gambhir, who’s had his detractors over his time in charge, has basically walked away from that mantra and has built a team,” Butcher told Wisden.
Coaches on board
The move forward was initiated by Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid. It’s just that Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir have taken it to the next level. After India won the T20 World Cup 2026, Gambhir used Sanju Samson’s three dismissals in the 80s and 90s as an example.
“For too long in Indian cricket, we’ve spoken about milestones, and I hope, till I’m there, we’re not going to talk about milestones. You can see it very easily as well. You can see it in the last three games: what Sanju did – 97 not out, 89, and 89. Imagine if you would have been playing for a milestone; probably we wouldn’t have got 250. Stop celebrating milestones; celebrate trophies. That is going to be important, because the bigger purpose of a team sport is winning trophies. Scoring personal runs has never mattered to me, and it will never matter to me,” Gambhir said after India won the final.
It’s not like Pakistan’s head coach Mike Hesson doesn’t agree. He, too, has openly stated that he values the team’s victory over individual performances. But the question is, do players agree?
“It becomes pretty apparent to everybody (if someone’s playing for personal milestones) that that’s what’s happening, and it’s been happening for years. If we need 14 an over, a single down the ground is not going to make a big difference. If you’re looking to hit it somewhere for four and you can’t – no problem. But if we can tell you’re not picking the bat up and you’re just trying to bunt it for one to get your milestone, those milestones don’t really matter if you end up losing by 20 runs. It’s all about context and doing whatever you can to help the team win the game,” Hesson had said last year.
But are players in?
After Pakistan won their last Super 8 match against Sri Lanka but failed to qualify, Sahibzada Farhan was named the ‘player of the match’ for scoring a century. He expressed unhappiness over Pakistan failing to reach the semifinals, but went on and on about his performance. Farhan even remembered where he finished on the scoring charts in the 2025 Asia Cup, another tournament Pakistan lost.
A Masterclass in Batting! Sahibzada Farhan reaches a magnificent century! A truly dominant display of power and precision to put his side in the driver's seat. ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | #PAKvNAM | LIVE NOW t.co/tEqcKQXZLa pic.twitter.com/9ad70dYYoa
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 18, 2026“First of all, I had it in my mind that we would do well as a team. The way Fakhar was playing, I actually felt that if he had scored a hundred, it would have been even better for the team. But it was my destiny to get it; honestly, this hundred did not help the team win. Individually, it was good for me, but it wasn’t good for the team’s result. The way I have been playing. Sometimes you get extra confidence, and I tried to keep it normal because I knew when it came in my range, I could hit it easily. A lot of credit goes to domestic cricket. I’ve been playing domestic cricket regularly for the last four years. I topped the run charts in domestic cricket and the PSL and finished third in the Asia Cup as well and I top-scored here too. Playing consistently in domestic cricket helped me get used to scoring hundreds and fifties at a good strike rate. I think that form is continuing here. Making a record for Pakistan is a very happy moment for me,” Farhan had said.
Now, consider what Samson said after his match-winning 89 against England in the semifinal. For some context, Samson was playing his first World Cup despite playing since 2015. Yet, he stated that Jasprit Bumrah deserved the ‘player of the match’ award over him. Samson even said hundreds aren’t scored but happen in T20I cricket.
“Feels really great. To be honest, I kind of knew that I got some form going from the last game, so I thought I needed to continue. I think it’s not easy for you to find form at the crucial games for your country, so I thought, ‘Big game, I need to make the most out of how I’m batting.’ So I gave myself extra time. I calculated my innings a bit. I prepared really well, and I think things came off nicely. Very happy with how the team turned up today, and all credit goes to Jasprit Bumrah, the world-class bowler, a once-in-a-generation bowler. I think that’s what he delivered today. This (award) should go to him, actually. If we didn’t bowl that way in the death overs, I think I would not be standing here. All credit goes to the bowlers in the tough conditions. You can’t actually score a hundred. It actually comes from the process. It’s not a Test game; it’s not an ODI game where you can go up and down. Once you’ve got the start, you’re batting first. There is no other way. You just have to keep going hard, hard, hard. And once you end up on the right side, who knows, I think, what amount of runs I’m getting. So, I’m very happy to get whatever I’m getting and very happy to contribute on the winning side for my country,” Samson had said.
Pressure? WHAT PRESSURE!? Third consecutive fifty for Sanju Samson, all on the biggest stage! Only Indians with fifties in semi-final & final of an ICC Men's T20 WC: Virat Kohli | 2014 Sanju Samson | 2026ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | FINAL | #INDvNZ | LIVE NOW … pic.twitter.com/dHtwpFQet2
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 8, 2026The difference in how both responded speaks volumes. And this isn’t to say Farhan’s at fault. But such is the ecosystem that players in Pakistan are in constant jeopardy. They have to highlight performances, knowing they can be dropped. It happened to Saim Ayub, who was dropped from the ODI team after an underwhelming batting display in the T20 World Cup.
Such uncertainty breeds insecurity. That’s why Pakistani players value milestones. They know they’ll be dropped if they value the team over themselves. It isn’t Hesson’s fault, but those on the board who take these calls. Until those at the top don’t change, the players won’t either.
Gambhir’s Team India has moved on from personal milestones & individual superstars, Pakistan hasn’t Inside Sport India.
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