IND vs PAK 2022: "We definitely have more experience and more players to rely on" - Reetinder Sodhi picks India as favorites on Sunday

Former Indian cricketer Reetinder Sodhi feels the Men in Blue will go into the encounter against Pakistan on Sunday as favorites. The 41-year-old claimed that Team India has more experience than Pakistan and has more match-winners than their arch-rivals.

The Men in Blue already beat Pakistan last week and that might give them a psychological advantage. Sodhi also pointed out Pakistan's overdependence on captain Babar Azam to score big, something that Bhuvneshwar Kumar exploited last Sunday.

Speaking to India News Sports, Sodhi explained why the Men in Blue will have an edge over Pakistan. He said:

"We definitely have more experience and more players to rely on. Pakistan are heavily reliant on Babar Azam and you saw in the last game how their batting got rattled once Babar was dismissed."

He added:

"Virat Kohli's return to form changes the complexion of our batting line-up. Hardik's form with both bat and ball has transformed our team balance and Pakistan will need to pull up their socks because they will know they lack a bit of experience."

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Bhuvneshwar, Hardik will hold key for India: Rajkumar Sharma

Former Delhi cricketer and Virat Kohli's childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, was also present on the panel previewing the game between the arch-rivals on Sunday. He earmarked Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya as the players to watch out for due to their incredible contribution to the Men in Blue's win last Sunday.

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Bhuvneshwar Kumar against Pakistani openers over the years.

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Bhuvneshwar Kumar against Pakistani openers over the years. https://t.co/wXjghWUJEI

On this, Sharma stated:

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"Both of them (Bhuvneshwar and Hardik) will hold the key against Pakistan. Bhuvneshwar has shown his class and experience. His wicket of Babar Azam ensured that Pakistan lost half the match there. Hardik is also in good form and is hitting the right lengths so definitely they will be crucial for our chances."

Sodhi opined that the team could even try to fit in an extra all-rounder, probably Deepak Hooda, if they can trust Pandya enough as the third seamer. He added:

"There might be a temptation from the team management after seeing the way Hardik has been bowling to keep him as the third seamer. This gives them a luxury to add probably another all-rounder and give even more balance to the team."

Will India make any changes to their bowling attack against Pakistan on Sunday? Let us know in the comments.

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