Dispirited Pak stands no chance against confident India: Kaneria
Danish Kaneria says India playing with regained confidence after their victory against England in the recent white-ball series at home
New Delhi: Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria opined that the Mohammad Rizwan-led side has no chance of winning against India in their Champions Trophy spectacle at Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
Kaneria backed his statement by highlighting Pakistan’s dismal run in the recent series including the loss in the Tri-Nation Series and 1-1 draw against West Indies in the Test series on home soil. On the other hand, the veteran spinner cited India’s example of how they crushed England in the white-ball series after the debacle in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
“After the debacle in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, India defeated England in the white-ball series at home. They got their confidence back as Rohit, Virat scored runs while Shami also returned to the team and silenced critics with his bowling and bags fifer against Bangladesh,” Kaneria told IANS.
He added that India’s spinners will pose difficulty to Babar Azam due to the presence of left-arm bowlers – Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. “India have better spinners and Babar Azam struggles against left-arm spinners. How will he tackle Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. On the other hand, Pakistan don’t have a good spinner and we’ve seen Virat and other batters struggle against the leg-spinner. The match is very big but Pakistan don’t have any chance of winning the match on February 23,” Kaneria remarked.
The former cricketer also blamed Babar for not showing intent against New Zealand in the tournament opener after he scored 90-ball 64 while chasing 321. Kaneria lauded Khushdil Shah for showing intent during his 49-ball 69 laced with 10 fours and a six.
