Why Shahid Afridi feels India can defeat Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2017

‘For me, bowling to Kohli was always a challenge and Pakistani bowlers would have to be on top of their game against him’ Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni are Kohli’s firepower for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 The ‘Green-shirts’ can surely spring a surprise with a committed and passionate performance

An India-Pakistan cricket match is nothing short of a potboiler. It’s a like a self-imposed curfew on the streets in India, everywhere people can be found congregating over television sets, speaking in whispers (praying I believe) and awaiting the results of the match. On Sunday, the country will literally bleed blue for the Indian team which faces the cricketing rivals Pakistan in the Champions Trophy match 2017.

Ahead of the explosive match which Kohli’s boys will be playing, the Indian team has found an unlikely compliment from the opposition. It comes from a former Pakistani cricketer whose prowess with the bat and ball is enjoyed by viewers from both sides of the boundaries. Cricketer Shahid Afridi in a column for the ICC website spoke his mind about how India’s line-up possesses enough firepower to demolish the opposite team.

Like Afridi rightly says, the match will be one of those where each player’s performance and non-performance will be dissected for years to come and that holds true for both the Pakistani and the Indian cricket team.

He starts with lauding Virat Kohli and the boys, “Led by Virat Kohli, the Indians possess a formidable batting line-up that can flay any bowling attack on its day. Kohli’s credentials as a top-order batsman are known to all and he has played some memorable innings in the ODI format. I have vivid memories of his sublime century against us in the 2012 Asia Cup, while he was at his absolute best in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 clash at Adelaide, laying the foundation of an Indian win with a masterful hundred.

For me, bowling to Kohli was always a challenge and Pakistani bowlers would have to be on top of their game against him. They must try and attack, especially when he is new at the crease. If Pakistan dismisses Kohli cheaply, it will significantly increase its chances of restricting India to a low score.

While Kohli is the backbone, India possesses considerable firepower around him. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni are all match-winners and capable of churning out exceptional performances.”

He then drops in a word of praise for both Yuvraj and MS Dhoni. He hoped he could see Yuvraj Singh play in his ‘usual belligerent way’ and as for Dhoni, despite being in ‘the twilight of his glittering career, remains a potent force with the bat’. Afridi then acknowledged Dhoni’s incredible ability of ‘finishing games’ would help the young captain Kohli in difficult situations.

The Indian cricket at present is beset with a lot of controversies, the latest being an explosive resignation letter written by Ramchandra Guha where he targeted Kohli, Dhoni, Gavaskar and Dravid for the clash in cricketing interests. The match tomorrow will lay a lot of  mouths to rest, if the Indian team wins.

Back to the game, Afridi chipped in with a thought or two on how the Pakistani side could combat the Indian order.

He says, “To succeed against India, Pakistan’s bowlers would need to keep chipping away with wickets at regular intervals - you can’t afford to sit back since the likes of Yuvi and Dhoni are in the middle-order and the presence of the duo gives India real batting depth.

While batting is India’s traditional strength, it is also fielding a balanced bowling attack that includes some skillful bowlers led by the wily Ravindrachandran Ashwin.”

Afridi then broke down the order, pointing out who he believes can give support to the Indian order. In his opinion: left-armer Ravindra Jadeja, who has been another vital cog in the Indian line-up in recent years would support Ashwin greatly. The conditions in England might not suit spinners much but both Ashwin and Jadeja have the quality and accuracy to make run-scoring difficult for batsmen. The spinners will be complimented by what I feel is a more than capable seam bowling line-up led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami.

Another young player who was highly praised by Afridi was Jasprit Bumrah. He said, “I am hugely impressed by the skillset and temperament of young Jasprit Bumrah. He bowls what I call the ‘Pakistani Yorker’ almost at will. He reminds us of our pacers of yore who had mastered the skill of bowling the perfect yorker, especially during the 90s.

Bumrah has a wise head on his young shoulders and looks unfazed even when the batsmen are plundering runs. I think this year’s IPL has raised his stature considerably and Pakistan’s batsmen as well as all opposing teams need to make concrete plans of countering his threat in the ICC Champions Trophy.”

The Pakistani cricketer, however, did not let down his side in any manner. Quite expertly he wove in a warning to the Indian team : India enters the game against Pakistan on a high and has the ‘favourite’ tag. However the ‘Green-shirts’ can surely spring a surprise with a committed and passionate performance according to present day cricket requirements.

Which side springs the surprise will be seen tomorrow. Till then we can bask in the happiness of the Indian team  being in top notch form ready for an epic battle of the willows at Birmingham’s Edgbaston Stadium.