Issuing a cautionary note to Babar Azamled Pakistan before the T20 World Cup encounter against India former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar emphasizes Indias superior batting unit on the demanding New York pitch. He points out that the pitch suits players like Virat Kohli known for their adeptness at scoring through quick strike rotations.
Manjrekar informed ESPNCricinfo:
“If the pitch stays the same like Sri Lanka vs South Africa, it would benefit India more. They can easily beat Pakistan because Indian batters have the technique to survive. Ones and twos are Virat Kohli’s game. In such conditions, Pakistani batters struggle a bit.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
Pakistan just lost a 0–2 T20I series in England. Prior to the England visit, the Men in Green lost a Twenty20 International in Ireland, who are also in Group A of the T20 World Cup. They also lost the T20I series in New Zealand, 1-4 (captained by Shaheen Afridi in January). However, the Babar Azam-led team finished second place in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Sanjay Manjrekar Predicts India’s Batting Will Neutralize Pakistan’s Threat in T20 World Cup
Sanjay Manjrekar also discussed why India is the favored over Pakistan. The 58-year-old stated that the Men in Green lack the necessary characteristics in their bowling unit to pose a big threat to India’s world-class batting team. The cricketer-turned-commentator explained:
“Pakistan’s bowling is also not like – hit the deck, good length. Haris Rauf might do that otherwise pace and swing as Arshdeep does, similarly, Shaheen Afridi will bowl. If there’s the same pitch, India’s work will only get easier because batting will counter that challenge much better.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
No Pakistani batter scored a half-century in their last two T20Is in England. They would like to enhance their batting performance against the USA in their first game at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas to generate momentum ahead of the India-Pakistan match.
Indian players are preparing to up their game following the standout displays of Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, and Suryakumar Yadav in the warmup match. Conversely Rohit Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Shivam Dube are aiming for a comeback after their disappointing performance against Bangladesh in the prior fixture.
The nailbiting IndiaPakistan highoctane battle is gearing up at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium this upcoming Sunday June 9.