"Whenever there was pressure on Team India, their batters failed to deliver" - Saba Karim
Former Team India selector Saba Karim feels that although the Men in Blue's middle-order looks better than that of Pakistan, they haven't quite delivered in crunch situations of late, as seen in the 2022 Asia Cup.
The likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant didn't play a match-winning knock in the Super 4 stage. It was one of the reasons why Team India even failed to make it to the final.
Speaking to India News Sports on Monday, here's what Saba Karim had to say about both the batting line-ups:
"Both India and Pakistan have had issues with their batting, especially in pressure situations. Whenever there was pressure on Team India, their batters failed to deliver. Especially in knockout games, be it Suryakumar Yadav or Hardik Pandya."
Karim feels Pakistan are overdependent on their openers due to their inexperienced middle-order. On this, he said:
"Pakistan are in an even worse situation as Fakhar Zaman isn't a part of the squad. Shan Masood might play at No. 3 but then you have Haider Ali who hasn't had much experience of this level. So definitely both teams have problems that need to be addressed."
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Saba Karim on Team India vs Pakistan encounter in T20 World Cup
Saba Karim is of the opinion that the Men in Blue will face a tough challenge against Pakistan bowling in the upcoming T20 World Cup. The likes of Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah with the new ball, as well as the accuracy of Haris Rauf and the spinners, will pose a threat.
The former selector feels Team India will need to ensure they have Jasprit Bumrah in full form as he is arguably their biggest weapon. On this, he stated:
"It is going to be Jasprit Bumrah against Pakistan top-order vs Shaheen Afridi against India's top-order. Pakistan also have Naseem Shah and the two spinners that makes their bowling really strong. India will hope that Bumrah soon finds his rhythm because he is one bowler who can be used in any phase of a T20 game."
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