"The Australian team planned like the team in the film Chak De India for the semi-final against Pakistan" - Danish Kaneria
Danish Kaneria was all praise for the Australian team for their planning and execution during their semi-final clash against Pakistan on November 11. He drew parallels between the current Australian cricket team and the team from the super-hit Bollywood movie Chak De India.
Kaneria reckoned that the team had prepared detailed tactics, targeting the weaknesses of each opposition player. It was similar to the Australian hockey team in the Chak De India movie. In a video on his official YouTube channel, Danish Kaneria analyzed the reasons behind Pakistan's defeat. He attributed it to Australia's foolproof planning for the crucial contest. In this regard, Kaneria said:
"The Australian team is like the one in the film, Chak De India. Like we saw in the movie, the Australian team analyses every player and every little detail related to them. They scrutinize everything and catch the weaknesses in every player and plan to capitalize on that."
Pakistan put on a great fight and were even ahead of Australia at times during the chase. However, some scintillating hitting by Matthew Wade denied them a chance to advance to the finals.
Mohammad Rizwan is the best wicket-keeper batter in Pakistan's history: Danish Kaneria
Danish Kaneria was also highly impressed with the fighting spirit shown by Mohammad Rizwan. The Pakistan keeper was down with the flu ahead of the semi-final and was even in the ICU for a while. Rizwan overcame the illness to play in the semi-final. He top-scored with a brilliant fifty in the first innings to set a great platform for Pakistan.
Danish Kaneria lauded Rizwan's dedication and commitment towards the nation. He asserted that he is Pakistan's best wicket-keeper batter in their history. Kaneria said:
"The reason behind Pakistan's semi-final defeat was nothing big, they did most things right. But Rizwan, he was not well. He was in ICU with a chest infection, he was ill and even got hit with the ball in his face and received a cut. But even after all that he came and continued to play."
Kaneria added:
"He showed passion and motivation, and that is why I am a big fan of him. Mohammad Rizwan is the best wicket-keeper batter in Pakistan's history. I have said this earlier, and I will keep on saying this. He is hardworking and dedicated to doing his job. Whatever he does, he does it with full dedication."
Mohammad Rizwan had a good tournament with the bat as he is currently the second-highest scorer behind his skipper Babar Azam. Rizwan amassed 281 runs across six games at an astonishing average of 70.25, including three fifties.