T20 World Cup 2021 | Difficult for Pakistan to beat India, no matter how hard they try, says Rashid Latif

10/24/2021

Ahead of Pakistan's match against India on Sunday, Rashid Latif has said that the Babar Azam-led side will lose no matter how hard they try against Virat Kohli's men. The former Pakistan captain added that the teams need to get their tactics right and should force other teams to commit mistakes.

T20 World Cup 2021 started on October 17 in the UAE and Oman and India are all set to play their high-octane clash against Pakistan on October 24. India have won both their warm-up matches before the start of Super 12 stage. Pakistan won their first warm-up match against West Indies by seven wickets and lost the next practice match against South Africa by six wickets.

All the players in India's 15-man squad are coming fresh from thier participation in the IPL 2021 which was staged in the UAE itself. Moreover, India have won their all five matches against the arch-rivals in the T20 World Cup since its inaugural edition in 2007.

The India in-form batting line-up is full of power-hitter and is one of the strongest in the ongoing tournament. The bowling unit is even more lethal with presence of bolwers like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravichandran and Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shadrful Thakur.

Considering all the factors, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has reckoned that India will lose only if they commit mistakes and Pakistan might find it difficult to deal against their nemesis despite playing their best cricket at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium where they haven't lost since 2015.

“In my opinion, no matter how well Pakistan play, if Indian players don't make mistakes, then it will be difficult for Pakistan to win the match,” Latif said to Khaleej Times.

“When I captained Pakistan, I always tried to induce errors from the opposition. Of course, you have to do your own job first, but at the same time, it’s important to make the other team commit mistakes. So, it's not just about the technique or skills, it’s about tactics. You have to get your tactics right and try to make the other team commit errors,” he further added.

"We have to see what Virat does if he wins the toss, and what combination he will be played. Will he play Suryakumar Yadav? Or Ishan Kishan? Then you also have to see which spinners they will play. There is Varun Chakravarthy, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja. So there is a chance of making a mistake by the captain in terms of picking the right players because you have so many options.

“If you see the record, India have always won these matches in the World Cup. And before every World Cup game against them, we in Pakistan always say that this time we will win. So I am sure the Pakistan team will give their best to win this match tomorrow,” the former wicketkeeper-batsman concluded saying.

Former Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram, on the other hand, has said "pressure is keyword" in an India versus Pakistan clash and the one handling it better will end on the winning side.

"It is a battle of the mind, nerves and a lot more when Pakistan and India play each other in a World Cup. Whoever handles the pressure and makes lesser mistakes will do well. Team strengths and weaknesses go out of the window when these two sides clash, pressure is the keyword," he opined on Koo App.

The match between the two arch-rivals will be played from 7:30 PM IST and will be broadcasted on Hotstar and Star Sports Network.