Ex-Pakistan captain tears into India ahead of Asia Cup

Although they have put together a strong team, the former Pakistan opener believes Babar Azam and company will hold the advantage going into the much anticipated match in Kandy.

With the exception of the T20Is, Team India had a fantastic tour to the West Indies and Ireland. They are now prepared for their next task, the 2023 Asia Cup. Tuesday's match in Kandy, against bitter rivals Pakistan, will serve as the team's opening game of the season.

For the continental competition, India has selected a 17-person team, with experienced professionals Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returning to the lineup. Shreyas Iyer makes his long-awaited comeback during the competition, while KL Rahul is still ailing and won't be able to play in the opening two games.

The management would be pleased with Jasprit Bumrah's development in the bowling department because he and Mohhamad Shami will be in charge of the seam division. Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, who recovered from injuries and excelled in Ireland, are also expected to play for India in the Asia Cup.

Salman Butt, a former Pakistan opener, believes Babar Azam and company would hold the advantage going into the highly awaited match despite forming a tough side.

Salman Butt, a former Pakistan opener, believes Babar Azam and company would hold the advantage going into the eagerly anticipated match in Kandy despite forming a powerful side. By contrasting the two viewpoints, he attempted to support his assertion.

"Fitness is a problem while analysing India's quick bowling. Players have been out of shape for a while; we are unsure of their fragility or ability to exert full force. They also have young players who have played a lot of cricket but are less experienced than Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

India has only triumphed in games when Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma played exceptionally well. When others are responsible, they have generally battled.

Babar, Rizwan, Fakhar, Shadab, Shaheen, and Haris Rauf are all from Pakistan. And Pakistan has, in my judgement, a much larger core group. The likes of Jadeja, Shami, Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli are match-winners for India as well. However, their batting is fragile, and the other players will have a lot to prove if Pakistan manages to take the two crucial wickets. In a video posted on his YouTube channel, the former Pakistan cricketer said that they had neither assisted India in winning games against Pakistan or against themselves.

'Added benefit' for Pakistan

Butt also remarked that Pakistan had a "added advantage" when comparing the seam attacks.

"We have bowlers that can hit 90 mph, but only one or two of them can do it; the rest don't have that kind of speed. This is an additional benefit. We have both varieties of spinners, including a fast bowling all-arounder who can reach 140 kph, he remarked.

Influence on India

Butt also believes that given the high standards set for them, the Indian team will be under pressure.

There are many things expected of India, hence the pressure is greater. In addition, despite how many IPL they have played, India hasn't faced Pakistan in a long time for whatever reasons, thus their players lack the expertise of taking part in such high-stakes matches. No matter how much you participate in the IPL, it does not carry the same burden as the India-Pakistan series, he remarked. Chahe subah, dopahar, sham IPL khel le.