Wasim Akram Gives Reality Check To Team India Ahead Of Clash Against Pakistan In World Cup 2023 Says, ‘They Won 2011 But There Is Added Pressure’
New Delhi: Legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram has cautioned the Indian cricket team ahead of World Cup 2023 and said that although playing at home is a benefit the Men in Blue would love to take advantage of but be prepared for the pressure.
India’s mighty clash against Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium is one of the most anticipated and watched World Cup matches of all time, and even though Wasim Akram feels that the Men in Blue have the firepower in their bowling line-up to match Pakistan’s star-studded pace battery and batting unit, but the legendary quick pointed out the advantages that come with being the host nation.
As per the initial schedule released by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Pakistan cricket team will play their all matches across four venues, while host nation India will travel across nine different cities. In the initial stages, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was not in favour of the draft schedule and demanded that a couple of venues should be changed even now, as Pakistan mull their World Cup participation and a revised schedule is awaited.
During an interview with Radio Haanji, Wasim Akram expressed his thoughts that “Of course… India have Mohammed Shami, who is very impressive and is bowling like a dream, but Bumrah needs to remain fit. I don’t know what his situation is in terms of fitness but if he is fine, it will make a huge different. Besides, they have really good spinners and all-rounders – Jadeja, Ashwin – let’s see who plays. There have been some really good players coming from India but there are certain disadvantages of home ground. In 2011, India won but there is always an extra added pressure. Same with Pakistan. If they were the hosts, the pressure would be on them. Vice-versa.”
“See, I said this earlier as well. If I am asked to play on a certain date and at a certain venue, I have to play. Be it Ahmedabad, or Chennai, or Kolkata, or Mumbai… this does not affect players. So just play and don’t worry about it,” added Wasim Akram.
With the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 set to kick-start on 5 October, it has been reported that due to the request of multiple boards, there could be some changes made in the schedule that was earlier announced by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).