ICC World T20 2016: Misbah-ul-Haq urges Pakistan not to lose against India
Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq said nothing else matters for him as long as Pakistan beats India at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.
The two neighboring countries have shared one of the most intense rivalries in the sport with a strong emotional attachment of the fans. The much awaited World T20 clash will once again ignite the passion among the supporters from both the nations.
India are again the title favorites for Saturday’s group showdown as the hosts were recently crowned as Asian Champions just after whitewashing Australia in Australia in a T20I series. But Misbah says Pakistan will always raise their game against India.
India lost their first match of the tournament to New Zealand by 47 runs and will be looking to bounce back against their arch rivals. India have a very good record against Pakistan in ICC World T20 matches with three wins and a draw in four previous encounters.
You can lose every game but you can’t lose against India – Misbah
In a recent interview, Misbah said, “You can lose every game but you can’t lose against India, and it’s the same thing for them, that’s how big a match it is,”
He also praises the balanced Indian side and admitted that it will be tough to beat them. He said, “Obviously with the kind of cricket India is playing at the moment, you feel all their bases are covered. Their spin department is pretty experienced and in batting, their top six line-ups are all match-winners with a strong middle order. The way they are playing at the moment having just won the Asia Cup, they look like a difficult side to beat.”
Pakistan have got the potential to beat India – Misbah
However, the 41-year-old believes that Pakistan has the potential to beat India. He said, “But with Pakistan everyone believes we’ve got potential and on any given day we can surprise anyone. This is a dangerous factor for other teams this World Cup.
“We have a really good bowling line up, especially in the fast bowling department. We’ve got different variety and with the kind of bounce and pace, Mohammad Irfan got from the wickets, and especially the way Mohammad Amir is bowling… we’ve also got Wahab Riaz and Shahid Afridi there.
The Pakistan Test captain admits that the inconstancy of Pakistani batting something which needs to improve. He concluded, “Our batting is inconsistent but it still has potential. I think if we can play according to our potential in batting, we could really make up for that and hopefully, with the kind of pitches there are in India, that are good for batting, Pakistan has a fair chance.”
The Saturday’s encounter at Eden Gardens will surely bring a new chapter to the iconic rivalry between these two nations. India have never lost a World Cup match to Pakistan and Pakistan have never lost to India at Eden Gardens. Surely one of these two streaks will end after the match.