‘It all depends on how the side plays on that particular day’ – Kapil Dev has his say on India-Pakistan clash

The Asia Cup 2022 is all set to witness a thrilling encounter between India and Pakistan on Sunday, August 28. Both teams will revive their rivalry this year for the first time since their T20 World Cup 2021 encounter, which the Babar Azam-led Pakistani side won by a healthy margin of 10 wickets in Dubai. Coincidentally, the two teams will be squaring off at the same venue in the first Group A game.

India will be trying to get past the shocking defeat from the previous year under Rohit Sharma, but the 1983 World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev believes that while the Indian team appears to be far superior on paper, the performances of the players on the field will ultimately determine the outcome. The veteran also added that India looked to be a superior side last year during the world cup, but eventually the outcome wasn’t favorable.

“You can’t be sure about anything in T20. You can predict to some extent in ODIs and T20Is, but it is very difficult to predict in T20s. I will say that our team has the experience and they are better, but we were better last time as well. So, it’s quite difficult to say anything. Still, if you go into stats and players, the Indian team is far better. But it all depends on how the side plays on that particular day” Kapil Dev said on the YouTube channel Uncut.

A refurbished Indian squad

Since their poor performance at the T20 World Cup, the Indian side has undergone substantial changes, including the promotion of Rohit Sharma to captaincy, the emergence of several top pacers, as well as other acquisitions. The Indian squad includes Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Hooda, and Avesh Khan, who will be playing their first big tournament for India since their debut.

India will be playing two games, one each against Pakistan and Hong Kong, the other two teams in Group A. If the Men in Blue successfully end up in the top two spots, then India will move further to the Super four stage to make way into the finals of the continental tournament.