Indian World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir urged the Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill to be aggressive in their approach against the Pakistan speedsters in the early part of the innings. Team India’s top order will face a huge challenge from Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah with a new ball in a much-awaited clash on Saturday.
The Men in Blue will rely heavily on their top order to come good against Pakistan bowlers, as the good start from Indian openers would set the tone for the Men in Blue in the high-octane clash.
Meanwhile, the world’s No. 1 side will be hoping to produce some early breakthroughs upfront to bring the Indian middle order into the play in Kandy.
Speaking on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir feels that the Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill need to be clear in their approach while facing Pakistan’s pace attack.
“Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, your approach has to be clear against Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah. Look at scoring runs, not surviving. When you score runs, you are in better rhythm and have better backlift and footwork,” Gautam Gambhir said.
Shubman Gill has been in terrific form, since the start of 2023, as he smashed two hundreds and a double hundred in ODI cricket but his form has dipped a bit during the West Indies tour.
Meanwhile, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma would look to use all his experience to give the Indian side a steady start in their Asia Cup 2023 opener.
It’s New Day, New Match, Different Format, Be In Attacking Mode – Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir feels that Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah troubling Indian batters in the T20 World Cup is a different scenario and reckons that the ODI format is completely different as the batters will have their time to settle down in the middle before taking on the bowlers.
“Often, people talk about Shaheen and Naseem troubling the Indian batters in the World Cup. But it’s all in the past now. ODI is a different format, batters have time to settle into the crease.
“The more positive you are, the more you create pressure. Keep it simple, The past is in the past. It’s a new day, a new match, a different format. Be in attacking mode,” Gautam Gambhir added.
Shaheen Afridi has been among the best fast bowlers in the world, as he can rattle the batters with his sheer swing and pace bowling at the start of the innings and also has the knack of picking wickets in his 1st over.
On the other side, Naseem Shah has emerged as one of the finest new-ball partners for the left-arm pacer as he maintains the pressure from the other end, helping the team to get a crucial breakthrough at the start of the innings.