New Delhi: Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria opined that the Mohammad Rizwan-led side has no chance of winning against India in their Champions Trophy spectacle at Dubai International Stadium Sunday.
Kaneria backed his statement by highlighting Pakistan’s dismal run in the recent series including the loss in the Tri-Nation Series and 1-1 draw against West Indies in the Test series on home soil. On the other hand, the veteran spinner cited India’s example of how they crushed England in the white-ball series after the debacle in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
“After the debacle in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, India defeated England in the white-ball series at home. They got their confidence back as Rohit, Virat scored runs while Shami also returned to the team and silenced critics with his bowling and bags fifer against Bangladesh,” Kaneria told IANS.
He added that India’s spinners will pose difficulty to Babar Azam due to the presence of left-arm bowlers – Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
“India have better spinners and Babar Azam struggles against left-arm spinners. How will he tackle Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. On the other hand, Pakistan don’t have a good spinner and we’ve seen Virat and other batters struggle against the leg-spinner. The match is very big but Pakistan don’t have any chance of winning the match February 23,” Kaneria remarked.
The former cricketer also blamed Babar for not showing intent against New Zealand in the tournament opener after he scored 90-ball 64 while chasing 321. Kaneria lauded Khushdil Shah for showing intent during his 49-ball 69 laced with 10 fours and a six.
“Nothing should be taken for granted. I’ve seen one thing when Babar thinks the match is out of their reach then he tries to score his individual runs. He didn’t show intent while Khushdil Shah did and played a good knock. Although we lost the game but his knock reduced the margin of loss. Babar can’t justify his knock,” Kaneria said.
“Shubman Gill scored a classical century. If you don’t have the intent then it’ll be very difficult (to win against India). In Dubai, pitches are dry and slow and it is difficult to play against quality Indian bowling despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah,” he added.
When asked to pick his trump cards for the match, Kaneria named Khushdil, Saud Shakeel and Shaheen for Pakistan and Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Harshit Rana for India in the high-octane clash.
“In Fakhar’s absence, Khushdil Shah and Salman Agha have the ability (to be the trump card). Technically, Saud Shakeel is a good player, he plays very well. On a given day, he can make a big difference and play the role of Fakhar in the team. In the bowling department, Shaheen is the most experienced bowler. For India, Rohit Sharma is batting beautifully but Shubman Gill’s form can be dangerous for Pakistan. He will be the X-factor for them. Definitely, Rohit and Virat Kohli are also there. In the bowling department, Harshit Rana will be a key bowler…”
Rohit Sharma-led side defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in their opening match Wednesday and will look to continue the winning run against Pakistan Sunday to seal the semis spot.