Ex-Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar said India will be a rejuvenated team that will be approaching their T20 World Cup 2022 clash against the Men in Green like wounded tigers after going down heavily at the showpiece event in the United Arab Emirates last November.
Akhtar looked ahead to inarguably the most sought after game of the calendar. He said while Pakistan would take immense confidence from their victory over India in Dubai during the Super 12 stage of last year’s T20 World Cup, the Indians wouldn’t be pushovers as they strive to avenge their loss Down Under.
For Akhtar, India seemed to be lacking role clarity and a sense of freedom about their strokeplay when they faced a rising Pakistan side in Dubai last winter. That, he stressed, should be an immediate change in approach to the shortest format by the inaugural T20 World Cup champions.
“India cannot go about and select a random team against Pakistan without defining their roles. I think, the management should select the team carefully and I fully believe it will be a solid team. It won’t be a walkover for Pakistan this time around,”
he said on Sportskeeda in interaction with former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh.
Akhtar said given the men to men match-up, it is difficult to predict the outcome of the MCG encounter on October 23, especially if India get their squad right and take to the game like the side that have enjoyed the better of Pakistan historically in T20 World Cups.
“If India pick the right squad for the tournament, then they have a very good chance of beating Pakistan. They are absolutely even teams at the moment, so it is very difficult to predict a result,”
added the former Pakistan quick.
India enjoyed a winning streak against Pakistan in T20 World Cups till last year’s 10-wicket loss to the arch-rivals in Dubai. The Indian team had a disastrous start to their Super 12 campaign, facing a painful defeat that set the tone for the rest of their journey in the tournament. India also suffered a beating by New Zealand, which left them at the mercy of other results to qualify for the semis.
Ultimately, the then Virat Kohli-led side couldn’t qualify for the knock-outs, an embarrassing result for a country rich in cricketing resources and one that owns the game’s toughest domestic T20 league in the form of the Indian Premier League.
Since then, however, the set-up has gone through a few changes, with experienced opener Rohit Sharma replacing Kohli at the helm and veteran wristspinner Yuzvendra Chahal reasserting his position in the side after missing the T20 World Cup last year. India have enjoyed a 12-0 winning streak in the format since losing the game to the Kiwis in Dubai.
Ahead of the showpiece event in Australia, there is also talk around the imminent transition phase for India’s T20I cricket, with Rohit and Kohli both likely approaching their last T20 World Cup. Both of India’s white-ball greats are entering the deeper side of their thirties and have been enduring worrying declines in their T20 game, especially in the IPL.
“It is yet to be seen if this will be the last IPL or the last World Cup for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma but, there will be pressure on them to maintain their form.
In the latter part of the career, the pressure keeps on mounting. For instance, Sachin was constantly asked about being unable to score a hundred,”
Akhtar said.
