Pakistan had beaten Virat Kohli-led India by 10 wickets to begin their T20 World Cup campaign in style. 48 days after his country’s historic win at the Dubai International Stadium, all-rounder Imad Wasim opened up on what he hailed as a “perfect” win against India in the 2021 T20 World Cup group stage encounter.
The stat that made rounds on Twitter ahead of the blockbuster encounter was Pak’s inability to clinch a victory against India in World Cup meetings. And with India touted as title favourites, and Pak enduring a struggling run of form in the format, most expected the usual result to make the headline.
Pakistan’s Imad Wasim Enjoyed The Occasion And Was Grateful For The Opportunity To Represent Pakistan In A Once In A Lifetime T20I WC
But Babar Azam’s men scripted history to clinch their maiden 10-wicket win in T20Is and their maiden win in World Cups against India to make a thumping statement in their T20 World Cup opener. In a conversation, Imad Wasim was grateful for the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity of representing his country in a match against India.
“It was really good and beating India always provides some special moments for everyone involved in Pak cricket. Of course, I enjoyed the occasion and the match, and the result was just perfect.
“There was pressure on us, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play against India in a Twenty20 World Cup and I was really grateful for that opportunity,” he said.
Imad Wasim then opined that it was a near-perfect performance, but felt that it would be impossible for the side to replicate such dominance against India in the future.
“It felt like everything we touched that day turned to gold. Make no mistake, India are a very, very good side, but we just outclassed them on the day.
“The way we played was just fantastic and I would say that it was a near-perfect performance. In fact, I would go so far as to say that what we achieved on that day will be difficult to replicate in the future,” he added.
India went on to lose their second game as well, against New Zealand before winning three in a row. But the wins weren’t enough to confirm their place in the semis. India’s arch-rivals though won all their group games and but lost to Australia in the semis.
Shaheen Shah Afridi ran through Team India’s top-order after he got rid of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in his opening spell. Then he came back to dismiss Virat Kohli, who scored a half-century. He finished with 3-31 after dismissing India’s top scorer, skipper Virat Kohli for 57 in a total of 151-7 in 20 overs.
But in the end, the target of 152 was not enough as Pak openers Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam scored 79*, and 68*, respectively, to win the match for their team by 10 wickets with 13 balls to spare.
Imad Wasim Feels India And Pakistan Should Play Regularly Against Each Other
Imad Wasim also called for cricketing ties to resume between the two neighbouring countries, saying that India and Pakistan should play regularly against each other.
“As a player, you always want to compete at the highest level and against the best teams which is why these games are so special for us. I feel that being two world-class teams, India and Pakistan should play regularly against each other.”
“But having said that, I also understand that there are political reasons which prevent this from happening. This is sad because sports, especially cricket, can unite nations and I do think that we should have bilateral series between the two countries. Not only will this will be good for the game of cricket, but it will also be great both for cricket and for humanity too,” he concluded.
The win against India in the 2021 T20I World Cup was Pakistan’s first win in 13 World Cup matches (seven in the 50 over World Cup and six in the Twenty20 World Cup) dating back to 1992 in Australia.
The two neighbouring countries have not played bilateral cricket since January 2013 wherein Pakistan visited their neighbours wherein they played 2 T20Is and 3 ODIs. The two teams have not met in a bilateral Test series since the 2007-08 season.