India vs Pakistan, ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Ajit Agarkar Reckons Babar Azam and Co Won’t Pose a Big Challenge for Virat Kohli’s Men
"The stakes are always high when India and Pakistan play together but going by Team India’s current form and taking the stats into consideration, I don’t think Pakistan will pose that much of a challenge. Having said that, I don’t think we should take our neighbours lightly because cricket is a funny game, and things can change at any moment, especially in the T20 format," he said.
The India vs Pakistan clash already has some interesting build-up going about and former India all-rounder Ajit Agarkar has recently joined in the conversation. While speaking on a television show, Agarkar reckoned that Pakistan wouldn't be that big a threat to India but Virat Kohli's men should not underestimate the Men in Green. "The entire tournament (2007 T20 World Cup) was a dream tour for us. We never thought a bunch of youngsters could achieve such a feat, that too against Pakistan. I think the India-Pakistan rivalry always brings a tidal wave of emotions and is one the most anticipated clash in the World Cup, "he said, adding, "The stakes are always high when India and Pakistan play together but going by Team India’s current form and taking the stats into consideration, I don’t think Pakistan will pose that much of a challenge. Having said that, I don’t think we should take our neighbours lightly because cricket is a funny game, and things can change at any moment, especially in the T20 format.” Shoaib Akhtar Chills With Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar in Dubai Ahead of India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2021 Match, Pics Go Viral
Senior India players back in 2007 were not part of the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa and the MS Dhoni-led side had to go into the tournament with a fairly young squad. Agarkar though had some T20 experience having played for Middlesex in England and while talking about his favourite match from that 2007 World T20, he said, "I still remember how one by one, almost all senior players pulled themselves out of the first-ever T20 World Cup and Team India entered the tournament with a fairly young and inexperienced side. I think I still had more experience in the new format, as I played for the Middlesex team for a brief period. I think we became a unit after we beat Pakistan in the bowl-out. That is probably my most favourite match of the entire tournament."India vs Pakistan, ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Likely IND Playing XI vs PAK for Twenty20 WC Match
Tickets for the high-octane India vs Pakistan clash have already been sold out and fans are anticipating a match to remember. It would be interesting to see how Babar Azam plays for the first time against India in T20s and his clash with Indian captain Virat Kohli would be one that everyone would look forward to.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 17, 2021 07:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).