‘Bowler to be wary of isn’t Shaheen Afridi…': Ex-India batter's stunning take ahead of Ind vs Pak T20 World Cup match
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra feels that in the upcoming match between India and Pakistan on Sunday, Rauf will be a bigger threat than Shaheen.
Pakistan's pace attack has always been a force to reckon with in world cricket. This time, in the T20 World Cup, it's the trio of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah who are in limelight. While Shaheen and Rauf are experienced speedsters, Naseem proved himself with some sensational spells during the Asia Cup 2022. It's no surprise that Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is banking heavily on these stars to sail the team through the marquee tournament and into the finals. Cricket fans are keeping their fingers crossed over how the trio would perform against India when the arch-rivals face off in the Super 12 stage on Sunday.
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra feels that in the upcoming match between India and Pakistan on Sunday, Rauf will be a bigger threat than Shaheen. The 45-year old has weighed in on the current potential of the two and opined that Shaheen is yet to be at his best.
"But I do feel the bowler to be wary of on Sunday isn’t Shaheen. It’s Haris Rauf. Afridi is getting close to his best but isn’t there yet…and unlikely to be by the 23rd either. Rauf will bowl the tougher overs and has the potential to make a difference," explained Chopra in his post on Twitter.
The former India batter was all praise for Shaheen's in-swinging yorker that got rid of Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the warm-up match on Wednesday.
"Full…swinging…fast. Shaheen Afridi is getting close to his best. Gurbaz’s toe agrees," wrote Chopra on Twitter.
By picking two wickets against Afghanistan in the rain marred warm-up match on Wednesday, Shaheen showed that he is getting back to his old self after returning from injury. He performed better than the previous warm-up match against England where he had gone wicketless and looked a bit rusty.
Meanwhile Rauf also bowled well and took two wickets against Afghanistan. Rauf was also the leading wicket-taker in the home series against England in September.
The last time Shaheen played against India in the T20 World Cup in 2021, he had ran through the top order picking the wickets of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. He had dismissed Rohit for a golden duck with an inswinging yorker as well.
