Asia Cup 2022: “Rohit has an edge over Babar” - Younus Khan explains why Indian captain is ahead of his Pakistani counterpart
Former Pakistan skipper Younus Khan feels that Indian captain Rohit Sharma has the edge over his Pakistani counterpart Babar Azam when it comes to leadership skills. He pointed out that the ‘Hitman’ has more experience as captain and has also played under good skippers.
Rohit and Babar will be in action when India take on Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022 clash in Dubai on Sunday (August 28). This will be the first meeting between the two sides since the T20 World Cup last year when Pakistan hammered the Men in Blue by 10 wickets.
Previewing Sunday’s big match, Younus shared his thoughts on the two captains. Speaking to The Telegraph, he opined:
“We all know how crucial Rohit and Babar are when it comes to scoring big runs for their teams and the importance they carry in terms of putting up performances of significance.
"But captaincy-wise, Rohit has an edge over Babar because he has had a longer period as a senior Team India member and played under good captains as well. So that experience bodes well for Rohit.”
Rohit recently created a new record when he became the first captain in world cricket to lead his side to victory in 14 consecutive T20Is.
Pakistan have embraced a culture, India still searching a little bit: Scott Styris
According to former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris, Babar-led Pakistan have embraced a particular style of play, while India, under Rohit, are still fine-tuning certain aspects. Speaking to Sport18, he commented:
“I think that they've (Pakistan) embraced a culture of how they want to play the game and I think it's worked for them, whereas India, I think, is still searching a little bit.
"So if you were to just look at the side, they rely so heavily on this man here, Mohammad Rizwan, along with Babar Azam, because if they get them off to a start, there's a lot of power hitting to come.”
Styris admitted that dismissing the Pakistan openers cheaply could hold the key to India’s chances in the Asia Cup 2022 encounter. He explained:
"I think coming in and maybe looking to attack the spinners, in particular, I think could work in Pakistan's favour. So India's key is to break that opening partnership, make those middle order players for Pakistan do what they don't want to do and that's actually at the back rather than walk out there and hit.”
The Asia Cup will begin on Saturday (August 27), with Sri Lanka taking on Afghanistan in Dubai.