ICC T20 World Cup 2021: You Cannot Take Afghanistan Lightly, Says Harbhajan Singh
Published - 03 Nov 2021, 05:36 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:00 AM
Indian spin bowler Harbhajan Singh feels India should not take Afghanistan lightly in their upcoming match.
For Virat Kohli & co, this match will be a must-win game to keep their slender hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals.
India have lost both their games against Pakistan and New Zealand in Group 2. They will be up against a dynamic Afghanistan side that have won two of their three fixtures and will be vying to win this match to contend for a spot in the semis.
India will face the spin threat of Afghanistan in the coming game, especially when they face leg-spinner Rashid Khan.
Rashid has picked seven wickets from three matches so far in the tournament, and his intent to get a breakthrough will be something Indian batters will counter in the coming match.
You cannot take Afghanistan lightly: Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan said that Rashid and Mujeeb will be hard to deal with for the Indian batters and also said the team that will dominate the Powerplay will have the advantage.
“You cannot take Afghanistan lightly. They are a very good and mature team. They have decent batters, and their spin duo of Mujeeb Ur Rahman-Rashid Khan is a lethal combination,” Harbhajan was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.
“This format is such that, till the end, you cannot predict which team will win or lose. The team that is ahead after the first six overs is likely to have the advantage. The chances of making a comeback become very slim after that,” he added.
I don’t believe in past records: Harbhajan Singh
India defeated Afghanistan when they made their debut in the 2010 T20 World Cup in West Indies.
India also got the better of their neighbours during the 2019 World Cup in Southampton in a nail-biting contest.
However, Harbhajan believes that head to head records does not matter, and the team need to be present and play their best.
“As a cricketer, I don’t believe in past records. I find stats useless. What has happened before, we cannot assume that it will happen again. If that was the case, we beat Pakistan 12 times, and we should have won the 13th time as well,” Harbhajan asserted.
“We cannot change the past. What matters is how we play in the present. We had beaten them earlier, but that Afghanistan team was in the making. Now they are ready. That’s the big difference. This Afghanistan team is capable of defeating big sides,” he added.
India will play against Afghanistan on Wednesday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Also Read : ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Suryakumar Yadav Should Play Against Afghanistan If He Is Fit: Ajit Agarkar
