Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has tipped India to come out with flying colours in the high-voltage clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday (June 4) at Edgbaston.
Both the teams have looked in fine form ahead of their much-awaited clash. Defending champions India have hammered New Zealand and Bangladesh in the two warm-up games to send out a strong warning to the other teams.
The Men in Blue defeated New Zealand by 45 runs (DLS method) before thrashing Bangladesh by 240 runs. On the other hand, Pakistan also registered an impressive win against Bangladesh in their first practice tie when the Sarfraz Ahmed-led side chased down 341 with three balls to spare. Pakistan’s second warm-up game against Australia was washed out.
And with the both the teams looking sharp in the practice games, a blockbuster is definitely on the cards. However, Afridi feels India’s squad depth and their recent history against the Men in Green gives the Virat Kohli-led side the edge ahead of the Champions Trophy opener of both the teams.
“As a passionate Pakistan supporter, it’s natural that I would want my team to finish on the winning side against any team, and especially against India. However, recent history and the depth of the India squad gives it a slight edge heading into the game,” the swashbuckling all-rounder wrote in his column for the ICC.
Pakistan’s last win against India in an ICC tournament came in 2009 when they defeated India by 54 runs in the Champions Trophy. After that, they have lost against India twice in World Cup (2011, 2015) and once in the Champions Trophy (2013).
“Led by Virat Kohli, the Indians possess a formidable batting line-up that can flay any bowling attack on its day. Kohli’s credentials as a top-order batsman are known to all and he has played some memorable innings in the ODI format. I have vivid memories of his sublime century against us in the 2012 Asia Cup, while he was at his absolute best in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 clash at Adelaide, laying the foundation of an Indian win with a masterful hundred,” Afridi added.
The former cricketer also had a word of advice for his compatriots to do well against the Indian team. Afridi feels that taking wickets at regular intervals to have any chance of winning against the reigning Champions Trophy champions.
“To succeed against India, Pakistan’s bowlers would need to keep chipping away with wickets at regular intervals – you can’t afford to sit back since the likes of Yuvi and Dhoni are in the middle-order and the presence of the duo gives India real batting depth.”
Afridi further lauded India’s formidable bowling line-up, consisting of quality pacers and spinners. While the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar can blow away any opposition with their pace bowling, India’s spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja also possess the ability to make the best in business dance to their tunes.
“While batting is India’s traditional strength, it is also fielding a balanced bowling attack that includes some skilful bowlers led by the wily Ravichandran Ashwin. The off-spinner has truly come of age and has become a pivotal part of India’s recent successes across the three formats. Ashwin has great control and bowls an impeccable line and length which troubles the best in the business,” Afridi said.
“He gets great support from left-armer Ravindra Jadeja, who has been another vital cog in the Indian line-up in recent years. The conditions in England might not suit spinners much but both Ashwin and Jadeja have the quality and accuracy to make run-scoring difficult for batsmen.
“The spinners will be complimented by what I feel is a more than capable seam bowling line-up led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami. Shami is the quickest of the pace attack and can make the ball bounce awkwardly while Kumar can make the ball swing. He is also a shrewd operator who makes life tough for batters in the slog overs as we saw in the recently concluded Indian Premier League.”
I am hugely impressed by the skill set and temperament of young Jasprit Bumrah. He bowls what I call the ‘Pakistani Yorker’ almost at will. He reminds us of our Pacers of yore who had mastered the skill of bowling the perfect yorker, especially during the 90s,” he added.
Afridi concluded his article by reiterating that India would start the game as the favourites before backing his country to cause an upset with a ‘committed and passionate performance’.
“India enters the game against Pakistan on a high and has the ‘favourite’ tag. However. the ‘Green-shirts’ can surely spring a surprise with a committed and passionate performance according to present day cricket requirements.
I’m hoping we all get to see another memorable contest that befits the India-Pakistan rivalry. Let the best team take the honours, and more importantly, let it be an entertaining and memorable battle that provides rich entertainment to billions around the world,” Afridi concluded.