New Delhi. Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif believes that India will start as a strong contender for victory in the T20 World Cup match on Sunday as its team is more balanced. Latif also said that there will be pressure on Pakistan captain Babar Azam in this much-awaited match to be held in New York.
The former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman told PTI video, “All of us are focused on the match against India on June 9. Babar will be under pressure due to the match against India rather than his good performance in the World Cup.” He said, “But he has to learn to handle pressure. He should learn from Virat and Rohit. They know how to take the game forward. As a batsman, Babar is one of the best batsmen in the world but as far as captaincy is concerned, he still needs to learn a lot.” Latif said that India has very good spinners and given the current form, the Rohit Sharma-led team will start as a strong contender for victory in the match to be held on Sunday.
He said, “Kuldeep Yadav is such a player that if he stays fit, he can create problems for the batsmen throughout the World Cup. He is an important bowler for India and has also achieved good success. Looking at the current form, India will definitely start as a contender for victory in the match to be held on June 9. ” Latif also said that Pakistan’s preparation at this time is not like 2021 or 2022 when it reached the final of the T20 World Cup.
He said, “The Pakistan team has performed well in ICC competitions but this time the team does not look as prepared as it was in 2021 and 2022. After the defeat in the ODI World Cup, the team suffered a lot and the captain and the selection committee were changed.” Latif said, “The team does not know who will open the innings for them. So far, whichever player they have tried as an opening batsman has failed.”