Former India opener Sunil Gavaskar has given the Indian team a major warning ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. Gavaskar picked the team which has the ‘most lethal’ bowling attack heading into the World Cup which will start on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The cricketer-turned-commentator feels that Pakistan have the best new ball attack in the world, as the Babar Azam-led unit have climbed their way to the top of ICC ODI rankings ahead of the World Cup.
The likes of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah have set Asia Cup 2023 on fire. The trio troubled Indian batters during the Group A clash in Pallekele, as Rohit Sharma and Co. were reduced to 66/4 they are also the leading wicket-takers in the tournament, Rauf leads the way with 9 scalps, followed by Naseem and Shaheen both have 7 wickets each.
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India and Pakistan are set to meet each other once again in the Super 4 clash of Asia Cup on September 10, and if both sides can reach the final, they could have a third meeting the space of one month.
Talking to India Today, Gavaskar said that earlier, Australia and Pakistan had the best bowling attacks with the new ball, but now the Men in Green hold that crown.
“At one point of time it was Australia and Pakistan probably shared that number 1 and number 2 spot because Pakistan have always had top-class new-ball bowlers. But at this point of time, they have the most lethal new-ball attack in the game,” said the legendary opener.
“They have a left-arm, right-arm combination. They can move the ball both ways at good pace. So, it’s not easy for any batter to get aggressive against them from the word go,” he added.
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The Pakistani pacers gave the world yet another glimpse of their prowess as they bowled out Bangladesh for a paltry 193 in the inaugural game of Super 4 in Lahore on Wednesday.
Rauf picked up four wickets, Naseem got three and Shaheen got one scalp in his bag. Babar’s men will be confident heading into the fixture against India, while Rohit’s side also defeated Nepal by 10 wickets, they haven’t been tested properly so far in the tournament barring the game against Pakistan which was washed out.
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