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India and Pakistan Cricket teams (Source: Twitter)
India will open their Asia Cup 2023 campaign as they lock horns with Pakistan on Saturday, September 2 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Ahead of the fixture, former Pakistan seamer, Wahab Riaz has opined that Team India has the ability to tackle the Green Brigade's bowling attack led by left-arm pacer, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
"Shaheen has always been an impact bowler and not just India, he has troubled most of his opponents with the new ball. But T20 cricket and one-day cricket are different. In T20s, you have to attack and try and score runs. But in one-day cricket, you can survive the new ball phase and then accelerate. So I feel it's more about how India strategically negotiates the new ball threat and then they will get the opportunity to score runs," Riaz was quoted as saying on Zalmi TV.
I think even the Indian bowling can't be ignored now: Wahab Riaz
The 38-year-old stated that other than Shaheen, Haris Rauf is one of the crucial bowlers for Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023 because of the skills that he brings to the side. "Pakistan has to think about what if Shaheen's new ball threat is negotiated and that's where I feel Haris Rauf will be important. He has pace and gets bounces," Riaz asserted on the show
"It's all about how India handles pressure against the Pakistan bowling attack as they have all the shots. Pakistan bowling vs. Indian batting will be an interesting contest. I think even the Indian bowling can't be ignored now as Bumrah's comeback will make them more impactful, something they were missing for a while," the former Pakistan bowler added.
In the end, the speedster went on to say that whichever team snab wickets in the start of the innings will have a greater chance of winning the encounter. "Whichever team makes the most of the first 10 overs will have the grip on the game. Both India's and Pakistan's batting are dependent on their respective top 3 to score big and that's why I feel it will be a battle of the new ball," Riaz concluded.