Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are two of the most popular Indian batters in international cricket. However, Shoaib Akhtar feels Rohit Sharma gets more love in Pakistan in comparison to Virat Kohli.
India and Pakistan might not be playing against each other as often as they used to in the 1990s and 2000s, but the contest still holds a special place in the hearts of cricket lovers. With the two sides set to open their campaign at the T20 World Cup 2021 on Sunday, 24th October, former cricketers from both nations have been sharing their own experience of this iconic contest.
Rohit Sharma Called India’s Inzamam-ul-Haq In Pakistan: Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar, who remains an active cricket pundit who expresses views not just on Pakistan cricket but also other global series and events. Reflecting on the India-Pakistan clash, Shoaib Akhtar highlighted how much Indian cricketers are loved in Pakistan, especially Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Rohit Sharma has 2864 T20I runs in 111 matches averaging 32.54, and is 3rd behind teammate Virat Kohli and Martin Guptill of New Zealand. Virat Kohli tops the list with 3159 T20I runs in 90 matches averaging 52.65. In ODIs, Rohit Sharma is the only batsman to score 3 double tons, and his career-best 264 remains the highest individual score in ODIs.
“In Pakistan, people like and appreciate Indian cricketers. They praise Virat Kohli, they like Rohit Sharma even more. They call him India’s Inzamam,” the Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar said.
India-Pakistan faced each other last in the 2019 ODI World Cup round-robin stage, where the former won by 89 runs (DLS method). Their last T20 World Cup face-off resulted in India’s 6-wicket win over Men in Green in Kolkata in the 2016 edition.
However, due to the unfortunate political situation, the two teams haven’t played a bilateral series since 2012-13. Pakistan and India’s last bilateral ties at either of the two neighbouring countries were 2 T20Is and 3 ODIs in India way back in 2012.
Shoaib Akhtar Expects India – Pakistan Would Be A 50- 50 Game As Things Can Turn Out To Be Different With Courage And Right Strategy
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif, who was also a part of the conversation, picked the Indian team as the favourites for the Super 12 match against Pakistan.
Mohammad Kaif feels the fact that since all of the 2021 T20I World Cup-bound Indian players played for in the UAE with their respective IPL 2021 franchises, it will boost their hopes of going all the way in the tournament as Pakistan players won’t feature in IPL and the WC is in the same country where the last half of IPL 2021 was being played.
“Historically, India has always won these (World Cup) matches. But it depends on how the players perform on match day. The Indian side has an advantage that they just played the IPL in UAE and are accustomed to the conditions. Players are also in form.
“It would be a shocker if Pakistan wins. Of course, anything can happen in T20, but on paper, India appears to be a much stronger team,” said Kaif.
Countering Mohammad Kaif’s take on the subject, Shoaib Akhtar said that the team that shows more courage will emerge as triumphant.
“Big matches are not won by big players but by big courage. No doubt, India has better players, but with courage and right strategy things could turn out to be different than expected. Also, T20 is a tricky format. It’s going to be a 50-50 game. It will depend on how the players perform on the given day,” he opined.
From the group games, only 2 of 6 teams will qualify for the T20 World Cup semi-finals. Hence, the India-Pakistan contest that kicks off the proceedings in Group 2, will be of huge importance for both the teams’ hopes of qualifying for the knockout. It’s worth noting that Pakistan is yet to beat their arch-rivals India in a World Cup game in 12 encounters across the T20I and 50-over editions.
India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007. In that edition, India got the better of Pakistan twice, including the thriller final match in Johannesburg, where they defeated Shoaib Malik and his men by five runs. In the next 2009 T20I World Cup final against Sri Lanka, Pakistan sailed home by eight wickets with eight balls to spare in a run-chase sketched to perfection.