Shaheen Shah Afridi and Rohit Sharma is going to be a key battle during IND vs PAK: Sanjay Bangar

With less than 24 hours to go, fans are inching closer to the epic India vs Pakistan clash at the ICC Cricket World Cup. Reviewing the exciting contest ahead, ex-assistant coach & ex-India cricketer Sanjay Bangar spoke on various aspects regarding the match. He shared his views on what would make up the key battles in tomorrow’s match, and he also discussed Gill’s inclusion in the starting 11.

Speaking exclusively to Star Sports show, “Follow the Blues”, StarCast Sanjay Bangar shared his views on what would make up the key battles in tomorrow’s match, he said, “First up, the key battle is going to be between the opening batter and the bowler. So, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Rohit Sharma is going to be a key battle because the manner in which Rohit Sharma is playing fearless cricket. And especially the last time India played against Pakistan, he had taken the attack to them along with Shubman Gill, and they really charged at all three pacers scoring at a fast pace in those first 10 overs.

So, if India does end up having a wonderful start like that again, then pressure will be on the Pakistan bowlers from the start. Having spoken about the Sharma-Afridi match-up, another key battle is between Virat Kohli and Haris Rauf, because Haris Rauf bowls a very good short ball at a good pace, that battle would also be good to watch. And also when their batters come out to bat, it would be exciting to watch if Kuldeep Yadav is able to take Babar Azam’s wicket.”

Sanjay Bangar also discussed about Gill’s inclusion in the starting 11, if he is match-fit, he said, “If he is fit, then definitely he will be in the playing XI straight away. Still, I am not fully sure whether he should be included in the playing XI or not because though as a player he will always want to play the match even if he is sixty percent fit or seventy percent fit but since it’s October month and the rain has just stopped some days ago, the condition here is very hot and humid, there will be a lot of heat going on. 

So, we don’t want him to play so early after his recovery from his illness and thus as a result may be missing the remaining matches of the tournament. So, we should be still happy even if he misses tomorrow’s match because anyway, India is in a good position in this tournament right now, and if he is fully fit then he will definitely play till the finals.”

Also read: India vs Pakistan live updates