Former Pakistan coach Waqar Younis shared his predictions for the highly anticipated match between Pakistan and India taking place today at Nassau County International Stadium in New York.
Pakistan, having suffered a defeat in their first match against the US, are gearing up to face India today.
In contrast, the Indian team secured an eight-wicket victory against Ireland earlier this week, indicating good form since the start of the tournament.
Younis believes the pitch conditions will lead to an evenly contested match. “My heart says Pakistan, but from what I’ve seen so far in this tournament, the pitch in New York favors the faster bowlers. So, it evens it out a little bit just purely because of the surface in New York,” he said.
Meanwhile, former cricketer Wasim Akram expressed that India appears to be the stronger team with a 60% chance of winning against Pakistan. However, he noted that outcomes can change quickly in the T20 World Cup.
“Based on India’s form, they generally are a better team. Better team in a way that they’re favorites heading into that game. I would give 60% to India and 40% to Pakistan. But it’s T20I, one good innings or one good spell, the game can change quickly. I think everybody is looking forward to the game of the tournament,” Akram said.
Pakistan and India have played seven matches in the T20 World Cups against each other, with India winning five and Pakistan winning only one match back in 2021. The remaining T20I resulted in a tie.
Pakistan desperately needs a win after their major loss to the United States. They will be facing Canada on Tuesday at the same venue after playing against the Men in Blue.
Who’s playing on both sides?
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Azam Khan, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj. Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan.
