Kolkata: History may be against them, but Pakistan coach Waqar Younis on Friday said the time is flawless to rewrite it given that the Indian team is under pressure after losing its opening match of the ICC World T20.
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While Indian cricket team is the obvious favorite to win the game as it is playing in its own backyards, Pakistan has made its intentions clear after winning two matches in style.
“If we play with the same spirit that the players showed in the first match, Pakistan will defeat India”, said the head coach.
A verified Facebook user displaying Pakistan address, Rehan Allahwala posted, “If 1 million Pakistani know 10 million Indians on Facebook and vs versa, the border will become less relevant, I hope Peace, Love & Face-book can achieve that”. One bad game and they (Indians) can go out of the tournament. We can not ignore the fact that Kashmiris follow Pakistan cricket very closely and cheer for every six and four Pakistan batsmen hit and every wicket that our bowlers take.
“It’s an added pressure on them”, Younis added. Ahead of their marquee clash against India, Pakistan women were dealt a severe blow after all-rounder Javeria Khan was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament with a broken jaw after being hit by a bouncer during their World T20 opener against West Indies.
While India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin called a match between the two countries as a bigger contest than the traditional rivalry of the Ashes, which involves test matches between England and Australia, Waqar said the cricketers should be proud of the rivalry. “The way both the countries have played in the last 50 years, I think it’s a treat for the entire world and not just the subcontinent”.
“After the loss to New Zealand, India will be under far more pressure against Pakistan”, Gavaskar told the NDTV news channel. The confidence of the top order reflected in the manner in which they fired in unison to give the bowlers a much-needed cushion.
“We won the last match against Bangladesh, a lot of positives are in our side. We need runs on the board”, the 44-year-old said.
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The trend comes after Pakistani skipper Shahid Afridi was criticised over his declaration that Pakistan’s cricketers receive more love in India than back home.
