"Pakistan is an unpredictable side and can beat anyone" - Harbhajan Singh
Former cricketers Shoaib Akhtar and Harbhajan Singh shared their thoughts with Sportskeeda ahead of the marquee India-Pakistan clash on Sunday. While Harbhajan Singh feels Pakistan are highly predictable, he has backed India to come out on top.
The first Group A game of the Super 12 stage will see India and Pakistan lock horns in Dubai. With the Men in Blue enjoying a perfect record against Pakistan in World Cups, there is plenty of excitement around the game.
The final training session before the start of Pakistan's #T20WorldCup campaign tomorrow.
#WeHaveWeWill https://t.co/u2T7X32cLJ
Harbhajan Singh believes it is better to not underestimate Pakistan and highlighted that what happened in the past hardly matters now. The former Indian off-spinner believes it's all about turning up and playing well on the day.
"Pakistan is an unpredictable side and can beat anyone. I won't compare the two teams as they both play differently and I don't think we should be focussing too much on past records because they haven't played each other too much. Statistics come into the picture when both teams have played each other a lot and one has won the most. The team we have on paper, we should be beating Pakistan easily but it all depends on what you do once you are on the playing field," Singh told on Sportskeeda's Special World Cup show.
India and Pakistan have battled five times in T20 World Cup matches with the latter unable to win any of them. The two sides also featured in the inaugural edition's final in 2007, when India emerged victorious by six runs.
"I can't say much about Pakistan when they are chasing": Shoaib Akhtar
In contrast, Shoaib Akhtar underlined that T20 cricket suits Pakistan and is a tough side. However, Akhtar is unsure of its chances against Virat Kohli and co., who he believes can do wonders. The Rawalpindi Express claimed:
"Pakistan is a very formidable side. T20 type of cricket suits us because we have the patience. I can't say much about Pakistan when they are chasing. Pakistan is batting first and can score about 160-170, but India certainly have the batters to chase down the total."
As far as Pakistan's batting line-up goes, the onus lies with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to get them off to a good start. Their fragile and unreliable middle-order has been one of the significant causes of some of its recent collapses.
The Pakistan think tank will be keen to sort out these issues ahead of the high-intensity clash against Virat Kohli and co ahead of their World Cup opener on Sunday.