Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra believes Pakistan have a lot of problems heading into their World Cup 2023 clash against India. He also added a plan the Indian bowlers could follow to dismiss quickly the in-form Mohammad Rizwan. The Indian team will play against Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14. Both teams head into the match after opening their campaigns with back-to-back wins and they will hope to continue the winning momentum as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “A lot of things are broken for Pakistan. Abdullah Shafique has scored runs but Imam-ul-Haq is missing, which means he hasn’t scored runs. Someone is asking to bring Fakhar Zaman. You can bring Fakhar but it won’t make a huge difference. Babar Azam hasn’t scored runs. In fact, he has not scored a fifty against India in ODI cricket to date. I have a plan for Rizwan. Bowl him bouncers. Keep the ball close to his ears when he comes to bat.”
READ MORE: Virat Kohli shares the importance of maintaining diet
Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra recalled Arshdeep Singh dismissing Pakistan’s in-form wicketkeeper-batter with a short-pitched delivery in their 2022 T20 World Cup clash in Melbourne as well. However, Rizwan played a 68-run knock in their World Cup opener against the Netherlands and followed it up with a stunning unbeaten 131 against Sri Lanka. And, Team India will want to dismiss him early to put pressure on them as well.
READ MORE: “Can be the future captain of India” – Kiran More on Ruturaj Gaikwad
“Arshdeep Singh bowled a bouncer even in Melbourne and he was caught in the deep – remember. You need to bowl bouncers. Bring Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Hardik Pandya, and just pepper him with a lot of short-pitched deliveries. After that, you can catch hold of Iftikhar Ahmed and Saud Shakeel,” Aakash Chopra concluded. “In batting, the Indian team have to only keep in mind that they shouldn’t lose a wicket in the first 15 overs. More than one wicket shouldn’t fall. If you lose just one wicket in the first 15 overs, you can take it in writing that you will win this match.”
