Asia Cup 2018: India Have Slight Edge Over Pakistan Because of MS Dhoni, reckons Muttiah Muralitharan
Sep 19, 2018 at 4:05 PM
Legendary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan admitted that India would slightly have an edge due to the presence of MS Dhoni against Pakistan in the Asia Cup match at Dubai.
Meanwhile, both teams are coming on the back of a win against the minnows Hong Kong. While Pakistan had an easy win, India had to fight hard to open their campaign with a win. The India-Pakistan rivalry is old, and the sub-plots are always fascinating. The two teams are coming up against each other in the UAE – the neutral venue where they have played the most against each other – after 12 long years.
However, Muttiah Muralitharan stressed that India would have an edge due to the experience in their side. On the other hand, Pakistan have a young team, who has shown a lot of prospects. Moreover, he added that Indian cricketers have more exposure than their Pakistani counterparts.
“India have the edge because Pakistan are a young team. And they are improving. India have got the talent. A lot of their players have played a lot of ODIs, a lot of T20s… They have more exposure than Pakistan’s players,” Muttiah Muralitharan said to Aaj Tak.
MS Dhoni will be key
Muralitharan further noted that MS Dhoni is the key factor for the Indian side. On the other hand, he also made aware that these conditions are known to the Pakistan side. However, the Men in Blues are still getting some edge because of former skipper Dhoni.
“And the key factor is that MS Dhoni is still behind the wickets. He can control a lot because of his experience. That gives a little more edge to India. But Pakistan have also played in Dubai. They know how to play here but India have a slight edge because of Dhoni,” Muttiah Muralitharan concluded.