Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria believes that Mohammad Rizwan’s Pakistan side stands little chance of defeating India in their highly anticipated Champions Trophy clash at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
Kaneria pointed to Pakistan’s recent struggles, including a disappointing performance in the Tri-Nation Series and a 1-1 draw against the West Indies in a home Test series. In contrast, he praised India’s strong comeback after their Border-Gavaskar Trophy defeat in Australia, where they convincingly defeated England in the white-ball series.
“After the debacle in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, India defeated England in the white-ball series at home. They got their confidence back as Rohit and Virat scored runs, while Shami silenced critics with his bowling and bagged a fifer against Bangladesh,” Kaneria told IANS.
Kaneria also highlighted the challenge posed by India’s spin attack, particularly for Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam, who has historically struggled against left-arm spinners.
“India have better spinners, and Babar Azam struggles against left-arm spinners. How will he tackle Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel? On the other hand, Pakistan lacks a quality spinner. We’ve seen Virat and other Indian batters struggle against leg-spinners, but Pakistan doesn’t have one to exploit that weakness. This match is huge, but I don’t see Pakistan having any chance of winning on February 23,” Kaneria remarked.
Reflecting on Pakistan’s recent match against New Zealand, Kaneria criticized Babar’s approach during the chase of a 321-run target, where he scored 64 off 90 balls. He praised Khushdil Shah for showing greater intent with his 69-run knock off 49 balls, which included 10 fours and a six.
“When Babar thinks the match is out of reach, he seems to focus on scoring runs for himself rather than for the team. He didn’t show the required intent, whereas Khushdil Shah did and played a good knock. Although we lost the game, his innings helped reduce the margin of defeat. Babar can’t justify that knock,” Kaneria said.
He also praised Shubman Gill for his classical century, adding that without the right intent, it would be difficult for Pakistan to secure a win against India, especially on Dubai’s dry and slow pitches.
“Shubman Gill scored a classical century. If you don’t have the intent, winning against India will be very difficult. Dubai pitches are dry and slow, making it tough to play against India’s quality bowling attack, even in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah,” he added.
When asked to name his trump cards for the clash, Kaneria picked Khushdil Shah, Saud Shakeel, and Shaheen Afridi for Pakistan, while naming Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Harshit Rana as key players for India.
“In Fakhar’s absence, Khushdil Shah and Salman Agha have the ability to step up. Saud Shakeel is technically sound and can make a big difference. In the bowling department, Shaheen is the most experienced bowler. For India, Shubman Gill will be the X-factor, while Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are also crucial. Harshit Rana will play a key role in the bowling attack,” Kaneria said.
India, led by Rohit Sharma, started their Champions Trophy campaign with a six-wicket win against Bangladesh on Wednesday. They will aim to continue their winning streak against Pakistan on Sunday, which would secure their spot in the semifinals.
-IANS