Fast-bowling legend Wasim Akram feels Pakistan have taken great confidence out of their comprehensive victory against India at the T20 World Cup in UAE last year.
Akram is of the opinion that Pakistan’s ten-wicket routing of the much-vaunted Indian side has reignited life into what was becoming a one-sided Indo-Pak rivalry.
Pakistan’s win against India in Dubai was their first in six attempts at the T20 World Cup and first in thirteen overall encounters in World Cup history.
The triumph led to contrasting campaigns for both sides: while India failed to recover and went on a downward spiral to face a Super 12 stage exit, Pakistan kicked on to make the semi-finals of the tournament.
Speaking in a media session organised by Asia Cup 2022 host broadcasters Star Sports, Akram took heart from the rise and consistency of the contemporary Pakistan side led by Babar and backed them to enter the clash with India on an equal footing after last year’s win at the T20 World Cup.
“Pakistan team is on the rise for the past couple of years. They’ve been consistent, and I think the win against India, although that was a year ago during the World Cup, gave them a bit of confidence that they can compete against India day in and day out,”
he said.
India and Pakistan will lock horns for the first time in nearly a year after the latter’s Dubai turnaround at the same venue at the start of their respective Asia Cup campaigns on August 28.
The fixture will kick-off an exciting period for fans long denied regular bilateral cricket between the two countries, where there is a possibility they may clash two more times in the Asia Cup ahead of a T20 World Cup 2022 encounter in Melbourne on October 23.
Akram feels optimistic about Pakistan running toe-to-toe with the Indians but thinks the team’s over-reliance on the top order of Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar at No.3 is a worry.
“The only thing I’m worried about is the middle order. There is no experience apart from Iftikhar Ahmed coming in at No. 4, and then you’ll have probably Haider Ali, a young sensation who hasn’t been consistent. Babar Azam and Rizwan are the key as far as the T20 format is concerned.”
“I think in general they’re confident, but it depends on how they feel or what sort of mindset they’re in when they arrive before the India-Pakistan game because that game can make or break the Asia Cup for either side,”
he said.
The usual discourse around the India-Pakistan rivalry revolves around the history of the two countries, their geo-political issues, World Cup clashes and more. Adding to these topics in recent times is the Babar Azam-Virat Kohli comparison, which continues to ignite debates, especially as the two players have undergone contrasting fortunes with the bat in hand in the last three years.
While Babar has established himself as a modern-day giant in this phase, Kohli seems to have lost a sense of invincibility, having not scored a century since November 2019.
Akram, however, doesn’t think Babar has matched Kohli already in terms of greatness at the crease. The legend said it’s understandable and “natural” that the two players will be pitted against each other by the world outside, but it’s a comparison best avoided.
“It’s a bit too early to compare him (Babar) to Kohli at this stage, but he’s on track to be one of the modern greats,”
he said.
