Former Pakistan Test cricketer and chief selector Iqbal Qasim believes Pakistan can defeat India on Sunday if they play smart and aggressive cricket, and make the right tactical decisions.
Pakistan lost their Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand by 60 runs in Karachi on Thursday. They will now face arch-rivals India in a Champions Trophy blockbuster on Sunday in front of a sell-out Dubai crowd knowing that another defeat will virtually end their title defence.
“We must not see ourselves as underdogs. Fearless cricket, strategic bowling, and a solid batting approach will be key,” Qasim said while speaking exclusively to Business Recorder on the eve of the crucial Champions Trophy clash.
“Play smart, aggressive cricket”
The former chief selector backed Imam-ul-Haq over Usman Khan for Pakistan’s crucial match against India, citing Imam’s experience and consistency at the international level.
“Yes, Usman is a good hitter, but he does not have performances at the international level. On the other hand, Imam has performed consistently and has the stamina to play longer innings,” Qasim said.
However, he emphasized that whoever gets the opportunity on Sunday must make the most of it.
Qasim also advised Pakistani batters to keep rotating the strike and take full advantage of loose deliveries to maximize the scoring rate.
Bowling concerns
Weak spin department
Qasim, who is Pakistan’s most successful left-arm spinner with 171 Test wickets, pointed out the national team’s weakness in the spin department.
“With just one specialist spinner, we heavily rely on part-timers. India, on the contrary, has three strong spinners, two of whom are proper all-rounders,” Qasim said.
He highlighted Pakistan’s struggles against quality spin and feared that this could be a big challenge for our batters.
Fast bowling and death overs struggles
Qasim noted that Pakistan’s fast bowlers have been inconsistent, particularly in the final overs, leaking too many runs.
“Our fast bowlers are playing based on past performances. But that won’t last long,” he said, urging them to focus on discipline and containment rather than sheer pace.
“We are giving away too many runs in the last 10 overs. Instead of looking for wickets, we should focus on restricting runs,” Qasim advised.
Pakistan are heavily reliant on pacers in their title defence. However, Qasim believed they hadn’t been up to the mark.
“Look at Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi. Together, the two bowlers conceded 151 runs in their 20 overs against New Zealand,” he concluded.
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