You can lose every game but not against India: Misbah-ul-Haq

Current Pakistan Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq has urged the current Pakistani side not to lose the match against India.

The Pakistanis have never been able to defeat their Indian rivals in World Cups thus far. While there is a massive political cloud surrounding the two countries, both sides have maintained friendly relations on the cricket pitch. Therefore, Misbah has stated the importance of beating India in a World Cup event to remove any mental blocks that may be present.

In a recent interview, Misbah said, “You can lose every game but you can’t lose against India, and it’s the same thing for them, that’s how big a match it is.”

He said, “Obviously with the kind of cricket India is playing at the moment, you feel all their bases are covered. Their spin department is pretty experienced and in batting, their top six line-ups are all match-winners with a strong middle order. The way they are playing at the moment having just won the Asia Cup, they look like a difficult side to beat.”

The 41-year old also believes that Pakistan do not believe that they have the potential to win the competition. He also went on to endorse the bowling attack, stating that they are a force to reckon with in the years to come. However, Misbah also underlined that the batsmen have been inconsistent for the large part.

He said, “But with Pakistan everyone believes we’ve got potential and on any given day we can surprise anyone. This is a dangerous factor for other teams this World Cup.

“We have a really good bowling line up, especially in the fast bowling department. We’ve got different variety and with the kind of bounce and pace, Mohammad Irfan got from the wickets, and especially the way Mohammad Amir is bowling… we’ve also got Wahab Riaz and Shahid Afridi there.

He concluded, “Our batting is inconsistent but it still has potential. I think if we can play according to our potential in batting, we could really make up for that and hopefully, with the kind of pitches there are in India, that are good for batting, Pakistan has a fair chance.”