India favourites against Pakistan, pace to dominate T20 World Cup match, say former players

Former India and Pakistan cricketers Aakash Chopra and Rashid Latif gave their opinions on the marquee clash between the two neighbours in the T20 World Cup on Sunday. Latif believes India enter the group stage clash as the favourites with the Babar Azam-led side not quite balanced enough. Chopra, meanwhile, reckons pace will be a decisive factor in which way the contest swings.

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Latif, former Pakistan captain, said Azam has a long way to go before becoming a captain who can handle pressure.

“…the focus is on the game on June 9 against India. Babar (Pakistan captain) will be under a lot of pressure because of the game against India rather than performing in the World Cup,” the 55-year-old former wicketkeeper-batter told news agency PTI.

“But he has to learn to carry pressure, he should learn that from Virat and Rohit. They know how to carry the game. As a batter Babar is one of the best but as a captain and leader, there’s a lot that he needs to learn,” he added.

Latif said India have superior spinners and based on current form, Rohit Sharma’s men are favourites.

“Kuldeep Yadav is that one player who if remains fit for India throughout the World Cup, he can cause trouble for batters. He is India’s key bowler and also a key to success. Given the current form and stats definitely India has an advantage ahead of June 9,” he said.

Latif also pointed out that Pakistan’s preparedness is nowhere close to being as good as it was during its strong performances in the 2021 and 2022 editions, when they reached the finals.

“The Pakistan team plays well in the ICC tournaments but the team doesn’t look as prepared as they were in 2021 and 2022. The damage happened after the last ODI World Cup with changes in captaincy, the selection committee, and players,” he explained.

“The team doesn’t know who their openers will be and what they have tried has failed miserably,” he pointed out.

Latif lamented the decline of Pakistan’s bowling, especially in the seam bowling department which, he believes, has been brought on due to poor fitness.

“A lot of bowlers like Shaheen, Naseem, Rauf, Shadab came back from injury and now Imad Wasim is injured. The biggest issue has been the fitness of the bowlers,” he said.

“Former greats like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Mohammad Asif were way fitter than them and never used to miss any Tests or ODIs. But these guys, despite playing shorter formats, don’t have adequate fitness,” he added.

He also criticised the selection of bowlers who play similar roles in the side. “…they bring back Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim. Earlier when these two bowlers used to play for Pakistan and in the PSL, they used to bowl the early overs between 1-4.

“Now, Rauf and Shaheen perform the same role, if you have four bowlers with the same role, who will bowl in the middle overs?” he asked.

He lauded India for getting their bowling combination right.

“Look at India, they have got Kuldeep, Axar, Jadeja and Chahal who can bowl in the middle and also the early overs. Pakistan couldn’t develop Abrar Ahmed much. If Shadab Khan goes for runs in the middle overs, Pakistan doesn’t have a lot of cover,” he said.

Talking about Virat Kohli, Latif said, “Virat has a lot of fans in Pakistan and also the players playing are his fans. Like I also say this whenever Sachin used to play earlier, I never wanted him to get out.

“The world was paying to watch him bat but I was sitting behind the stumps and enjoying it for free,” he recalled on a lighter note.

“Virat Kohli is a different player…Virat is a different player after this IPL… It will be really interesting to see where he bats in this World Cup.”

Latif said Babar can grow in stature but he needs a better team around him. “Babar is a great player but doesn’t have a lot of players to support him. Virat definitely has an advantage because the players are around him. But Pakistan lacks that cushion.

“Babar only has Rizwan and occasionally the support of Fakhar Zaman. Babar’s quality is way above his teammates and I think this acts as a disadvantage for him.”

Pace will dominate the India-Pakistan match: Aakash Chopra

Former India batter Chopra said the match could be decided in the powerplay and credited Pakistan’s seamers for having enough in them to give India reason for concern.

“When you look at Pakistan’s bowling and take into account the pitch conditions as well, if you are a Pakistan fan, you will definitely be very happy. If the pitch has a little bit of spice and the ball is swinging left or right, then they will be thinking that they can win this matchup in the powerplay. The fixtures that are taking place in New York will mainly be decided in the powerplay itself – whether it is with the bat or the ball. If the bowling team picks up three wickets in the powerplay, the game is theirs, if the batting team loses just one wicket in that period, they will have the upper hand. Hence, Pakistan will be feeling happy because they have two left-arm pacers – Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Amir,” said Chopra on JioCinema.

“I think Pakistan should play all four fast bowlers. If they play, then they can really cause trouble for the Indian batters. But that is the big question - will they play the four pacers? The expected total for this venue seems conservative, around 125-130 or 150-160 towards the higher end, but it doesn’t seem like a 200-run game. And these kinds of matches really suit Pakistan,” he added.

To that end, the toss becomes extremely important. Win the toss and opt to field would be the strategy, reckons Chopra. “This match will be a battle of nerves, obviously skills matter equally. Both teams will have almost equal support from the fans at the stadium. It is very hard to tell how the pitch will behave during the match, but the toss will be crucial because whoever wins will choose to bowl first and look to control the powerplay. I believe that pace will dominate the match and India will come out with the same team. I really want Kuldeep Yadav to play but I don’t really see him being picked for this match.”