Sourav Ganguly believes India is a 'much stronger team' than Pakistan for their T20 World Cup match but dismisses favourites tags. He hailed Jasprit Bumrah as a 'game-changer' and the key to India's victory chances in Colombo.
India Starts as a Stronger Side
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes India start as the stronger side against Pakistan in their group-stage encounter of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday. India holds a dominant 7-1 head-to-head record over Pakistan in the Men's T20 World Cup. However, Ganguly said he does not believe in statistics or the "favourites" tag in the shortest format of the game.
Speaking on JioHotstar, Ganguly said, "I don't believe in head-to-head figures. I don't believe in the favourites tag, especially in T20 cricket. What I believe is that India starts as a much stronger team than Pakistan. India is a very good team. They are very well balanced in batting, bowling, seam bowling, spin bowling, fielding and game sense. They have big match experience. So they start as the stronger side. But whether India wins or not will be decided by the 40 overs in Colombo."
Ganguly on 'Game-Changer' Bumrah
Speaking on Bumrah, the former star player praised him, calling him a "game-changer" and the best pace bowler in the world. The former batter complimented Bumrah's arsenal of variations, anticipated a good battle against Sahibzada, and stated that Pakistan's chances of winning depend on how they play against Bumrah.
"Jasprit Bumrah is a game-changer. He is probably the best fast bowler in the world right now in white-ball cricket. He is the best because of his variations. Yorkers, bouncers, slower balls, he knows what to do. He is the captain of his own bowling. That makes him even tougher to face," he said.
Key Battle: Bumrah vs Sahibzada
Ganguly anticipated an exciting contest between Bumrah and Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan and stressed that Pakistan's chances will hinge on how well they handle Bumrah's spell. "The battle between Sahibzada Farhan and Bumrah will be exciting to watch. But it is not just about one player. All the Pakistani batters will have to play well against Bumrah. If Pakistan see off his four overs well, they will have a chance to win. If they don't, they will struggle," he added.
Tournament Standings
Both India and Pakistan have played two matches each in the tournament so far. Both have registered victories in those games. While India will enter the contest on the back of wins against the United States of America and Namibia, Pakistan have defeated the Netherlands and the USA. While the Suryakumar Yadav-led India are placed on top of Group A standings with four points and the Net Run Rate (NRR) of +3.050, Pakistan are placed second with four points, too, and an NRR of +0.932. (ANI)
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