'India had Kohli, Rohit, Dhoni. Our players were yet to lose their milk teeth': Sarfaraz's bombastic remark

The Champions Trophy 2017 win will go down in history arguably as Pakistan cricket's greatest comeback story. Such was the magnitude of the win that many believe it surpassed their 1992 Imran Khan-inspired World Cup win. From being handed a thrashing at the hands of India and nearly getting eliminated to reaching the final and beating their arch-rivals in the final. They don't write stuff like this anymore. Against everyone's hopes and expectations, captain Sarfaraz Ahmed emerged as the national hero as the entire country of Pakistan celebrated one of their most memorable wins, let alone against India.

Six years since, Pakistan cricket has changed drastically. Sarfaraz is no longer captain and had to fight for his way back into the Test side, whereas Babar Azam is looked up as Pakistan's next big thing in world cricket. For Sarfaraz, to win in the manner that he and his team did – by 180 runs – against a star-studded Indian line-up promises to be the most cherished moment of his career. In 2017, Pakistan was team full of promising youngsters who stunned India in the grand stage of an ICC tournament final when not a single soul in the world gave them a chance.

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"This is a memory (winning the Champions Trophy) which I can never forget. To win a final against India cannot be described in words. Had it been a normal match, it wouldn't have been such a big deal. We had won matches against India earlier as well, in ICC events, bilateral series - in fact, we have won more. But to win against such a team, which could chase down any total was incredible," Sarfaraz said on The Nadir Ali Podcast.

"No runs were enough for them. India had MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, whereas we had players who were yet to lose their milk teeth. We had kids, who today are taking Pakistan cricket to greater heights. Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan Faheem Ashraf, they were all young players. If you compare their team with ours, there was absolutely no comparison. We had only 2 experienced players in Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Maik. The rest of the guys were so raw and new."

Pakistan's run up to the Champions Trophy final was a roller-coaster ride. After being dished out a 124-run thrashing against India by DLS method, Pakistan got the better of South Africa edging them by 19 runs – also by DLS – to remain alive in the tournament. With Sri Lanka then defeating India, giving themselves a shot at glory, Pakistan needed to beat them in the final group match, the winner of which would have faced England in the semifinal.

Chasing 237 to win, Pakistan were reduced to a concerning 162/7, but just when all hopes seemed lost, Sarfaraz and Mohammad Amir scripted a stunning partnership and escaped with a three-wicket win. In the S/F, Pakistan outplayed England by 8 wickets to book themselves a ticket to the final, where India awaited. And the rest… as they say, is history.

"When I played my first match as a captain, I was under immense pressure. Didn't know the consequences. It is different playing as a player. So when we reached the final, in the huddle I just told the players one thing 'Look guys, the kind of cricket which we have played, such a comeback has rarely been seen in the history of Pakistan cricket. Today, if we give our 100 percent effort, this match will be in our grasp,'" added Sarfaraz.