Former England captain Eoin Morgan spoke up about the importance of emphasizing the emotions for the team’s better performance in the field ahead of the marquee clash between India and Pakistan in the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The World Cup campaigns for India and Pakistan have gotten off to a strong start in the tournament. The hosts easily defeated Australia by six wickets in their opening match in Chennai, then by eight wickets in their second match in Delhi. While under challenging conditions, The Men in Green managed to win two games in the competition.
In his interview with Sky Sports, Eoin Morgan—who has not personally attended an India-Pakistan match—emphasized the intensity, volume, and feelings present. He claimed that the team that effectively controls its emotions will likely do well on the field. He argued that Pakistan must get used to playing in a stadium packed with Indian spectators in Ahmedabad.
“I have never been to an India-Pakistan game before and all you hear about is the atmosphere, the noise, the emotions, I think that will be the key to the whole lot of it. Whoever holds their emotions best, will perform the best,” he said.
“Pakistan are coming from Hyderabad where they had a record run chase and the confidence is high, Rizwan said in his press conference that the atmosphere there felt like Rawalpindi with the support that they had,” Eoin Morgan said.
In just his sixth ODI, young Abdullah Shafique showed stunning maturity as Pakistan overcame a shaky start. They supported Mohammad Rizwan in bringing Pakistan back into the game. In the 32nd over, Shafique scored his first ODI century, and Rizwan continued to amass runs by scoring the game-winning runs against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad.
Jasprit Bumrah Is The Game Changer In Both Sides – Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan feels that India has an advantage in the bowling department against Pakistan, particularly with the inclusion of Jasprit Bumrah, who has the capacity to apply pressure and take crucial wickets and can alter the outcome of a game. He emphasized the necessity of a balanced bowling lineup and Bumrah’s role in India’s most recent game against Afghanistan.
“I would probably lean towards India’s bowling line as being more stronger and in form, bringing Jasprit Bumrah back in just the timely manner. Five months ago, they played in Dublin, he [Bumrah] came in sort of eased way back in with one eye towards the World Cup.”
“He is a game changer, four wickets against Afghanistan, building pressure, taking wickets, he is the game changer in both sides. Taking nothing away from Pakistan’s bowling, but I just think the balance of India’s bowling lineup is key for them,” Eoin Morgan added.
The last 2-3 years have seen a rise in quality in the fast bowlers, and they have become the most lethal pace attack in the world. The Indian pacers have shown an upward swing in their improvement graph as they have done a fine job and Jasprit Bumrah has been the go-to bowler for the team in all three formats and can be crucial for the team in the Pakistan game.
