ICC World T20 2022 | If I give my best, India won't be able to play me easily, warns Haris Rauf

ICC World T20 2022 | If I give my best, India won't be able to play me easily, warns Haris Rauf

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Haris Rauf has been a standout player for Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League

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(Pakistan Cricket Board)

Haris Rauf has expressed confidence over his match-up against India in the World T20 next month, revealing his experience in the Big Bash League has equipped him well enough to be a threat. He went on to discuss the importance of the clash and his past experiences of being a part of the occasion.

The World T20 is now just a few weeks away, with India and Pakistan set to begin their campaigns with a Group 2 fixture against each other on October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The two sides have played each other three times already over the last year in multinational tournaments. In the previous edition of the World T20, Pakistan had managed their first win over the Men in Blue in a World Cup fixture with a 10-wicket thrashing. Even though their rivals managed to exact revenge with a victory in the Asia Cup group stages, the Men in Green ultimately had the last laugh with a commanding run-chase in the Super Four stage of the tournament.

A big reason for the team's positive performance in the continental competition was the quality of seam bowling on display despite missing spearhead Shaheen Afridi. The likes of Haris Rauf stepped up to the plate well with the 28-year-old even managing to scalp the wicket of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma in the second encounter. The right-arm quick believes he is going to be even more of a problem for the Indian batsmen in their next encounter given the match will take place Down Under.

"If I give my best, they won't be able to play me easily. For the upcoming World Cup match, I'm very happy because it is at the Melbourne Cricket Ground," Rauf was quoted saying by India Today.

The pacer plays for Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League and has 30 wickets in 18 innings, averaging an excellent 16.40 with a decent economy rate of 7.71.

"It is my home ground because I play for the Melbourne Stars, and I have an idea of how the conditions play out there. I've already started planning on how I would bowl against India."

Rauf is currently playing at home in a seven-match T20I series against England, with Pakistan currently leading 3-2. He has managed five scalps in the last two games and seems to be gaining confidence with each passing game, having already tallied 46 T20I caps since his debut in 2020.

"The match between India and Pakistan is always a high-pressure game. In the World Cup last year, I was feeling so much pressure. But in the past two matches in the Asia Cup, I didn't feel much of it because I knew I just had to give my best," Rauf concluded.

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