'There has to be aggression in the eyes' - Gautam Gambhir unhappy over friendly exchange between IND-PAK players during Asia Cup 2023 match 

The much-awaited clash between India and Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023 couldn't produce a result as rain played spoilsport in Pallekele on Saturday, September 2. As a result, both teams shared one point each. Fans could witness only one innings but it provided some intense cricketing moments, thanks to Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya.

Meanwhile, in the midst of heavy downpours at the Pallekel International Stadium, India and Pakistan players were seen interacting with each other. Although camaraderie between players of different teams is common, former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir was against it. Unimpressed by the friendly exchange between the arch-rivals, Gambhir said the players should be aggressive and leave the friendship outside the boundary ropes during the game time as they are representing a whole nation.

You must leave the friendship outside the boundary ropes: Gambhir 

In a chat on Star Sports during the mid-game show, the 41-year-old said: "When you play on the field for your national team, you must leave the friendship outside the boundary ropes. Game face hona zaroori hai. Dosti bahaar rehni chahiye. There has to be an aggression in the eyes of both sets of players. You can be as friendly as you want after those six or seven hours of cricket. Those hours are very important, because you're not just representing yourself, you're representing a nation of over a billion."

"These days you see players of rival teams patting each other on the back and exchanging fist bumps during a match. You would never see that a few years ago. Aap friendly match hi khel rahe ho," he added.

The former India opener also drew the example of his friendship with former Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Kamran Akmal. "We're very good friends. In fact, I gave him a bat and he gave me a bat too. I played one whole season with a bat Kamran had given me. We spoke for an hour recently," he said.

Talking about the ongoing tournament, Pakistan advanced to the Super Four stage after a massive win against Nepal and a draw against India. With three points, Babar Azam and Co. are currently at the top of the Group A points table. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma's side needs to defeat Nepal on September 2 to advance to the next round of the 2023 Asia Cup.