Pakistan Will Be The Favourites Against India- Danish Kaneria Exclusive On Asia Cup, Virat vs Babar, And Tilak Varma In India's World Cup Squad

There isn’t any bigger game than India vs Pakistan in the sporting world. This statement got justified after the crowd attendance during the T20 World Cup 2022, which was over 90 thousand, surpassed the FIFA World Cup Final, which took place in front of around 89 thousand spectators.

The world stops when the two arch-rivals are up against each other and it couldn’t get any better for fans as in the upcoming two months, we can witness them squaring off against each other for the maximum of five times. But the question remains who will have an upper edge?

India and Pakistan have always engaged in a high-voltage clash as tempers are always high when these are against each other. The Men in Blue has had an upper hand over their rivals in the World Cups and Asia Cups in the 21st century as they have won a majority of the games one-sided.

However, you cannot write off the new batch of the Pakistan team, headed by one of the modern greats Babar Azam. They have been neck to neck with India in the past few years and even on occasions have started. It was all blue till the 2017 Champions Trophy but the final of the tournament saw a tinch of green as well as they dominated the two-time World Cup winners and this was where Pakistan made their presence felt.

In the last Asia Cup, which was played in a 20-over format, both of them met two times and registered one win each. In ICC tournaments, apart from the Champions Trophy, they ended their long wait of beating India in World Cups as they for the first time achieved the feat in the 2021 T20 World Cup, where they registered a dominating 10-wicket win. India however, was better in the 2019 World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup.

The tempers will be high once again, pressure will be mounting once again, and the stadium will be jam-packed once again as India and Pakistan will be up against each other in the Asia Cup 2023, which will be played from 30th August. They will play on 2nd September at Kandy and there are high chances that they will meet in super 4s as Nepal is the third team in their group.

We might even see them in the final as well but totally depends upon how they fare in the Super 4 stage. The excitement, however, doesn’t stop here only as they will also lock horns with each other in the ICC World Cup 2023 on 14th October at the largest stadium in the world Narendra Modi International Stadium.

A lot of things are to be addressed if we dig into the Indian squad ahead of the all-important game. Two of their key middle-order batters Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are out due to injury, the bowling department isn’t settled yet, senior players aren’t in form and it looks quite threatening. It automatically makes Pakistan favorites.

There’s not much time left for the Asia Cup but it’s quite confusing that India is still testing and experimenting and is unsure of what combination they will be playing. This might come and haunt them when they step into the field but one cannot even write them off because of what they have been doing in the last few years.

The Babar Azam-led side on the other hand has found their mojo in their every department. They have been playing quality cricket over the past few months and with the kind of bowling attack they have, it’s safe to say that not only against India but they will be hot favorites to win Asia Cup as well World Cup.

As everyone awaits Virat Kohli vs Shaheen Afridi, Rohit Sharma vs Haris Rauf, and KL Rahul vs Naseem Shah, we got the opportunity to speak to legendary spinner Danish Kaneria. In an exclusive interview with Cricket Addictor, he talked about India vs Pakistan game, Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam debate, Rahul Dravid’s future as a coach, and many other things.

Here are excerpts from the interview with Danish Kaneria:

Asia Cup and World Cup are approaching and the hype is all around India vs Pakistan. Which team according to you is more balanced and has a better chance of winning?

If you see Pakistan’s squad for the Asia Cup, they have a balanced team with fast bowlers they have. Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf are bowling pretty well and then in the middle overs Shadab Khan comes into play. Young Tayyab Tahir, who played for the emerging team, is an exciting cricketer who comes in the middle order and smashes it.

From opening also, Pakistan has a very consistent pair of Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman, and then Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan all chip in. India so far is playing in West Indies and has been doing a lot of changes. There are a couple of youngsters they have tried out in place of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who have been rested.

Hardik Pandya is captaining a young team with immense talent. If you see Tilak Varma, he has shown his class and glimpses about how long he can go and play for India with the way he plays his natural game. Suryakumar Yadav is another superb and wonderful cricketer but these young guys haven’t played against Pakistan. But the thing with the Indian team is when it comes to knockout stages they are unable to win. Last time they won the ICC trophy under MS Dhoni.

Since IPL started booming, players got more injured because of playing too much cricket and they also lost interest in international cricket. If you see India currently has been struggling without the services of injured Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant. Arshdeep Singh is also struggling too as he’s giving away too many runs. Let’s see what team chief selector Ajit Agarkar picks but for me, Pakistan has a little bit edge over India but all the things will be known when the tournament begins.

India has been testing and experimenting with the team for a while now whereas Pakistan in the ODIs have found the perfect balance. Do you see this as a disadvantage to India and why?

This is a big disadvantage because India has played a lot of ODI series in the build-up to Asia Cup. By this time they should have been fully prepared. They should have caught a bunch of 20-25 players to get into the role and they should’ve set a good team before going to West Indies. It should’ve been in their mind that ‘This will be our team for Asia Cup and World Cup and we will loom around these players and we will mix up and match with these players’.

But I’m seeing that things are still not confirmed for them. They have given Shubman Gill immense opportunities, he’s a fantastic player but he’s not consistent. Sanju Samson, we all talked about so much, such a brilliant talent. When he was not getting an opportunity, everyone was talking about him getting a chance even I talked about it.

But once they are getting the opportunity, they are not availing it. Another worrying thing is in the bowling department, will they go with Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal? They have four spinners in the lineup.

You cannot leave out Ravindra Jadeja, he’s the world’s best all-rounder, Axar Patel is playing a similar kind of role, scoring runs down the order and picking up wickets. Kuldeep has been excellent in the West Indies series as he has been economical as well as picking wickets. Chahal has been playing for a long time but is struggling and isn’t consistent, this is where India needs to see who they will pick.

Even in the fast bowling there are worrying signs, will they go with Mukesh Kumar, who’s coming in the middle overs and bowls with a similar pacer as Hardik Pandya, which means having two types of same bowlers? They need to settle down the bowling department with fast bowlers in their ranks.

They need to see which bowlers can chip in and Mohammed Siraj can be a key for them as you need someone who can click 140 kmph. If you see, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf, they all bowl with a pace of over 140 kmph, so you need someone to click that.

This young Pakistan team under Babar Azam has never played in India and isn’t aware of the atmosphere and conditions. What will be your advice to the team and according to you, do you think that they can cope up with the pressure with Narendra Modi stadium expected to be jam-packed?

It’s a billion-dollar game that Babar Azam and young Guns will experience. When I played, I always had fun playing India, the crowds were very good and it was an amazing feeling. It’s a make or break of cricketing career for players of both teams. If you perform in this game, you are a legend but if you don’t perform you are out of the team.

The pressure is there, butterflies flying in the stomach and I won’t agree if any players say there’s no pressure. You are playing in Narendra Modi Stadium, which is the World’s largest stadium and it’ll be jam-packed. The advantage will definitely go to India, the hype, which will be created will hit the players. But Babar Azam & Co need to cope with that and bring out a good performance.

Pakistan has always been an unpredictable team, you never know how they will play on a given day. They will start the tournament very badly but will end up winning it, that has been always the case with the Pakistan team throughout the years. But you are absolutely right, the pressure will be on and boys need to cope with that because Ahmedabad will be full of blue.

India hasn’t found a settled No.4 batter after Yuvraj Singh. Shreyas Iyer almost locked that position but has been out due to injury. Whom according to you should bat at No.4? Even if Iyer comes back, do you think that he will be an automatic starter?

See in my book, there’s no automatic pick. You are playing for your country and the guys who are performing, who got the opportunity and grabbed it should be given the first preference. I think for No.4, Tilak Varma is the best choice as he’s batting superbly and I don’t think he’s going out of the squad. KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer will be returning from injury, they should go to domestic cricket, get their form back and come back into the team.

It should not be a straight walk-in as they need to show their form coming into the international team, you cannot come just like that. The guys who played in their absence performed well and they should be given preference. India needs to look into that and I’m sure Ajit Agarkar will look into that matter. What’s the point of guys who are out of form and are coming from injury will get the direct walk-in? that will hit India very badly.

If they need to win World Cup and Asia Cup, they need to make a very strong side and find the perfect balance in the opening, middle order, bowling department, and the all-rounders. They need to work really hard on that to see which players they will be playing. When the tournament will start, the hype will get higher and higher and India needs to think really hard.

If you see the T20I series against West Indies, how they lost the first two games, in the 4th game as well they conceded over 170 runs, Arshdeep Singh got smacked in the end, which is really a worrying sign for them. They need to be on their toes before the tournament comes otherwise it’ll be very late for them.

Many experts have started raising calls related to the inclusion of Tilak Varma in the ODI World Cup because of his heroics and the maturity he showed in the West Indies T20Is. Do you think that he will be there in the World Cup squad and will find a place directly in the team?

He’s not finding his place directly in the team. He got the opportunity to play the series and he has done well. If he had not done well, I would’ve said that he shouldn’t be there but he’s going well and is an immense talent. As a cricketer, what we see in a batter is his fearlessness. In his debut match, he hit the second ball for six, which shows the class and impact which he provides.

Tilak Varma should be definitely in the team. If you see, the same scenario goes with Suryakumar Yadav. People say, Surya hasn’t performed against Pakistan but still you cannot get him out of the team the way he plays, you never know on the given day he will score you match-winning runs.

Lots of talks have also been about Suryakumar Yadav’s form in ODIs. He is yet to crack this format and replicate his T20 performances in ODIs. How do you see this, especially with what he has been doing in T20 cricket?

Absolutely right, in ODI cricket he has not made the mark but the way he plays in T20Is is amazing, he’s a 360 degrees play. But the thing is he needs to pick up his game in ODI and play better. Now, there’s not enough time to make so many changes.

Even if your drop Suryakumar Yadav now but who will you bring in? You will have to see such things. Yes, he has not performed well in ODIs, he’s struggling a bit but time is very nearby, you cannot change him or make him sit out.

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been struggling a bit with their form in the last few years. But they have always risen on the big occasion. Who do you think will be more crucial to India’s chances in this World Cup?

Definitely, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are key figures in the Indian batting lineup. For me, Virat will be the main factor for the team. I was surprised that they didn’t play in the ODIs against West Indies. If it was planned earlier, why didn’t they return home after the Test series and played domestic cricket in India to get some cricket under their belt?

Only practicing in the nets doesn’t make you a great player, your form will not come. It’ll come when you game because in the nets, you’ll get you 10 times and will still bat but in the game, if you get out once, you are out. I think they should’ve played more games, the players who were rested should’ve played more domestic cricket going into the Asia Cup and World Cup, that would’ve helped them.

How do you rate Hardik Pandya as a captain? Do you think that he should immediately take over the baton from Rohit Sharma after World Cup?

I think he has been doing pretty well. The way he has captained Gujarat Titans in IPL, he has done brilliantly. Definitely, after World Cup, Hardik Pandya will take over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma, he has been doing pretty well. I’m just concerned with the Indian T20I coach. The intent has been missing, the intent which Hardik Pandya and Ashish Nehra, the combination of GT, that is missing.

No doubt, Rahul Dravid, a legendary player, world-class player, has been doing well in ODIs and Tests. But you need someone like Ashish Nehra in T20Is, who is very proactive and has different plans and brings intent like England has brought Brendon McCullum as a coach and their cricket has changed immensely. So, India needs to think about that part.

In T20Is, they need to have someone like Ashish Nehra or even Virender Sehwag, or Gautam Gambhir, who bit sharp and hard. Because in T20s, the margin of error is very less, you need coaches who will complete A, B & C plans and are running here and there, which I have seen in Ashish Nehra. He has been going pretty well as a coach of GT and his combination with Hardik Pandya works well.

Since 2013 the arch-rivals haven’t played against each other in the series. Also, a lot of drama unfolded over the participation of teams in the Asia Cup and World Cup. Do you see this as a loss in sports? What’s your take on this?

Yes, it’s a loss for the game definitely as India vs Pakistan is a billion-dollar match. On their match day, you see no flags of political parties and all you will see is the country’s flag. Even the Ashes is not that demanding when it comes to India and Pakistan games and those issues should be solved. When the Asia Cup was announced and Pakistan was scheduled to host the tournament, every day there used to be some ‘Biaanbaazi’.

Every morning there was a new statement coming from PCB but in the end, what happened,? They didn’t get anything. How many games Pakistan are playing in their country? In the end, the result went to the Indian side because that was not supposed to happen. When something is not supposed to happen, you have to be very smart in making decisions and making some statements.

Najam Sethi said they will not play World Cup and that, all these statements got hype and created more and more differences between the two countries. They should be sensible, they should prepare a good delegation and have a good PR and try to get three T20I games in Dubai or somewhere else and then gradually start playing bilateral series. The situation in Pakistan is not that great and everybody knows that.

Since 2013 India hasn’t won any single ICC trophy. What do you think are the main reasons behind this and what should they do to end the jinx?

To end the jinx of winning the ICC tournaments, they just need to believe in themselves and play in the way they play in bilateral series. They take so much pressure and it mounts on them. They need to be fearless, yes, the result is not your hands but if you play good cricket and hard cricket, results will come automatically. They need to rule out the fear of losing the game only then they will progress. That’s why I said the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra, and Virender Sehwag should be adjusted in some capacity because I have played against them.

They were the players who used to think in a positive way. How dashing Sehwag was and his batting, Gambhir’s attitude, and how he used to play. You need such type of characters in the team or even MS Dhoni coming into the team as a mentor in T20Is, the guy who changed Indian cricket. So, you need to bring something that changes the dressing room atmosphere and do some mentoring.

A similar thing has been happening with Pakistan of late as well. Where do you think they are also lacking? Is it with captaincy or something related to team selection?

I think it’s related to team selection because you don’t have great captaincy options. If you pick up the Pakistan team and see who will be your captain, the first choice will be Babar Azam and the second will be Mohammad Rizwan. The problem with Pakistan is that they are not preparing their next captain and vice-captain.

The preparation of the team is not happening, you will see Shaheen Afridi playing in all formats but he’s not resting when the major tournaments come. Every cricketer goes through niggles in the game, if you say 100% fit, no one of that much fit because there will be niggles here and there.

If you keep on playing your best bowlers in every format and when pressure will mount that injury will hit high. So, that’s why in big and crucial games, body language will go down and they collapse. You need to figure out which players need to play and which players need rest.

All the debate has been about who is better between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. Who according to you is currently the best and why?

How can you say who is the best currently? I have answered this question a billion times. Virat Kohli is a different-level player, he has been playing cricket for so long and has done his best around the world in Australia, England, South Africa, and New Zealand.

Babar Azam is in his prime form but he has not gone into a bad patch yet. Let’s see them when they both hang up their boots, stats will tell after that who was the best. Currently, they both are playing and you cannot compare them.

Both are very experienced and great batters but to compare we have to see when they retire and see their stats. Babar has not gone into the bad patch whereas Virat has gone into it and come out of it and has scored runs. He has 76 hundreds and will always have an edge over Babar but we will see when the time comes.