With India and Pakistan no longer playing bilateral series for over a decade now, references of past matches go back to their meetings in ICC and Asia Cup games. For the build-up to the blockbuster 2022 T20 World Cup tie in Melbourne, the references were mostly on the World Cup match 12 months back in Dubai, which was Pakistan's first ever win against India in 13 meetings at the grandest stage. Former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed too travelled back in time to the 2021 T20 World Cup match prior to the Melbourne match, but made a rather blunt remark on the Indian side as he countered Harbhajan Singh's statement on the 2007 T20 World Cup.
In their conversation on Geo Super on the eve of the MCG game, Aaqib claimed that the team with better bowling line-up wins a tournament, but Harbhajan was in complete disagreement with the remark. He explained that back in 2007 T20 World Cup, India did not have a good depth in their bowling department, but, were rather aided by pitch conditions and toss factor. The World Cup-winning bowler added that India have better bowlers now, but have failed to win big tournaments and hence feels that it all depends on who performs better on a particular day.
“Inhone ne kaha ki jis team ki bowling achi hoti hai woh tournament jeetti hai, woh bilkul sahi hai. Par agar aapke team dusre ko 140 pe out karde and ballebaazi bhi nehi ki toh bhi aage nehi jayegi. 2007 me India ke paas bowling depth nehin the, haa but baad me aake achi bowling ki hai. Kyunki humlog Durban main khel rahe the and undhr wicket me thodi moisture thei, tosses bhi jeet rahe the, fast bowlers, jo swing karate the unlog ko madad mil rahi thi. But abhi India ke paas usse acha bowlers hai, but jo result hume milne chaiye woh mil nehin rahe hai jo shayad technical reasons ho sakte hai ya soch ka vhisae hai. Skill-wise toh saare barabar ki teams hote hai, aab uss din kaunsa team behetar khel jaaye woh matter karta hai,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“Inhone ne kaha ki jis team ki bowling achi hoti hai woh tournament jeetti hai, woh bilkul sahi hai. Par agar aapke team dusre ko 140 pe out karde and ballebaazi bhi nehi ki toh bhi aage nehi jayegi. 2007 me India ke paas bowling depth nehin the, haa but baad me aake achi bowling ki hai. Kyunki humlog Durban main khel rahe the and undhr wicket me thodi moisture thei, tosses bhi jeet rahe the, fast bowlers, jo swing karate the unlog ko madad mil rahi thi. But abhi India ke paas usse acha bowlers hai, but jo result hume milne chaiye woh mil nehin rahe hai jo shayad technical reasons ho sakte hai ya soch ka vhisae hai. Skill-wise toh saare barabar ki teams hote hai, aab uss din kaunsa team behetar khel jaaye woh matter karta hai,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Aaqib countered Harbhajan's claim by making a statement on the 2021 T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan. He said that India never “gracefully” accepted that defeat which had rather left them demoralised and the loss had affected their ego.
“Yeh agar pata lagana hai toh aap dekhiye ga, jab India aur Pakistan ka match huya aur Pakistan jeet gaya and kis tarah se demoralise huye Indian team. Usse aap kehte hai ego, ki cannot accept that duniye ke behtareen league main se players nikal ke har gaye...hum kaise haar gaye? Har ko accept karna gracefully...kyunki uske baad unke performance kitni kamzor team se bhi haare. Iisilye yeh India vs Pakistan matches, jo tournament ke early on hote he, fans ya hum nehi, it depends ki captain aur team kaise haar aur jeet ko saath me leke chalte hai,” he said.