Former Pakistan cricketer Wahab Riaz said that India will be under additional pressure in the Asia Cup final against the Men in Green. He explained that it’s the third match the teams will be playing in the same tournament so India will be a little bit under the pump because they have to win three games in a row against Pakistan.
“It is going to be a different ball game from my perspective now because you have already played 2 games against India. Yes, you couldn’t win both of those games but now there will be additional pressure on India as well when they will be playing Pakistan in the final,” Riaz said in a video uploaded by EspnCricinfo.
“That’s the key. And this is after I think 2012 or 2013 that these teams are playing at least three games in a tournament. It’s not a bilateral series but it is going to be the third game of the tournament which also gives some edge to Pakistan. And probably from my perspective, India will be under pressure playing against Pakistan because they have to win three games in a row. So that could be a good blessing in disguise as well,” he explained.
The two arch-rivals will meet for the first time in a summit clash in the Asia Cup on Sunday with both teams qualifying after defeating Bangladesh. The Men in blue hold the overwhelming edge, winning both matches convincingly with Pakistan unable to muster any sort of challenge.
The first match was on September 14 which India won by 7 wickets while the second one was a Super 4 match on September 21 where Suryakumar Yadav and Co walked away with a 6-wicket win. This led to the India captain even asserting that India vs Pakistan isn’t even a rivalry anymore.
Asia Cup clashes mired in controversy
The Asia Cup clashes between these two sides thus far have been pretty bad tempered clashes with India players refusing to shake Pakistan players’ hands during the toss as well as after the first match due to the Pahalgam terror attacks and the subsequent tensions between the two countries. That led to Pakistan complaining to the ICC and even threatening to boycott the tournament.
In the Super 4s clash, Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf were accused of making provocative gestures by the BCCI in a formal complaint on Wednesday. While Rauf had mocked the Indian fans in the stands by gesturing about falling planes, Farhan’s celebration after his half century in the game was also seen as offensive by the Indian side.
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Pakistan had also complained about Suryakumar Yadav who dedicated the win against Pakistan on September 14 to the armed forces and said that the team stands in solidarity with the kin of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. The Men in Green said in their complaint that Surya had made political comments.
The postThere will be additional pressure on India when they play Pakistan in final, says Wahab Riaz | Cricket News appeared first on Indian Express
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