Legendary pacer Waqar Younis believes that both India and Pakistan will be under pressure for the big-ticket match in the ODI World Cup on October 14 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The two arch-rivals will clash to prove their supremacy over each other. India will look to extend their winning streak over them in ODI WCs, while Pakistan are in search of their first win against India at the showpiece event.
In the recently concluded Asia Cup, India and Pakistan clashed twice, the first match was abandoned due to rain after the Indian innings, while the second turned out to be a one-sided affair in Rohit Sharma and Co’s favor. Younis termed Pakistan as a weaker team compared to India and said it would put pressure on them.
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“As we all know, it (India vs Pakistan) will be the biggest game, mother of all the games. So, when you play in Ahmedabad, you will have to control your nerves, and not only Pakistan will be under pressure since it is a weaker team as compared to India. But India will also be under pressure because the crowd in the stadium will create pressure on both the teams,” Waqar Younis told Star Sports.
Waqar Younis admitted that India are a better side based on their recent team performances. The Men in Blue clinched the Asia Cup and beat Australia in the ODI series in the build-up to World Cup. Talking about the Pakistan team, Younis called it a miss and hit after Naseem Shah’s absence which is a big miss for them in the mega ICC event.
“However, if we judge purely based on the team’s performance, India definitely will be a better team.If I talk about Pakistan, they are a miss and hit this time. The absence of Naseem Shah will be a big disadvantage because Naseem and Shaheen (Afridi) used to complement each other with new ball,” Waqar Younis added.
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Pakistan WC Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imamul Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, (wicketkeeper) Mohammad Wasim, Agha Salman, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir
Reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan
