'They're dangerous; have nothing to lose' - Gautam Gambhir advices teams to beware of Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2021

Former Team India batsman Gautam Gambhir reckons that no team should make the mistake of taking Pakistan lightly in the upcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played in the United Arab Emirates and Oman between October 18 and November 14, 2021.

Gambhir termed Pakistan a dangerous and unpredictable side while pointing out how the shortest format of the game gives any team little to no opportunity to correct their mistakes.

“They’re a dangerous side! They have always been a dangerous side; They have always been a very unpredictable side, and that is why Pakistan Cricket is what Pakistan Cricket is. They can go on to beat anyone and lose to anyone. That is how they’ve always played their cricket. It is not just now, it’s been there for years and years, and they’ve got some quality players,” he said while peaking exclusively on Star Sports show Follow the Blues – India’s T20 World Cup Squad Special.

The southpaw also stated that Pakistan has nothing to lose and with the kind of players their current team possesses, every team must be wary of them.

You can’t take Pakistan lightly, and they have nothing to lose: Gautam Gambhir

“You’ve got people like Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi – who can swing the ball at 140 and is left armed; he is tall, he gets that bounce. They’ve got some raw pacers as well, they’ve got Haris Rauf, who can bowl 140-145, so you can never underestimate, plus this is that kind of a tournament. T20 format is such where you got no time to make a comeback. So, you have to be on your toes, and when you’ve got quality players on the other side, you can’t take them lightly, and they have nothing to lose,” he further said.

However, he denied any possibilities of India being under pressure, as he pointed out the team’s staggering record against their arch-rivals in big tournaments. Gambhir swept India being under pressure as merely a “media-created” pressure and reckoned that the current Indian team led by Virat Kohli is far better than the Pakistan team.

“India’s got a fabulous record against Pakistan, and whatever they talk about, the pressure’s going to be on India – that’s all media created stuff, and we got to say. Again, India is a far better side than Pakistan. So, this format is such where you got to be on your toes and got to get, you’re A-game forward,” added Gambhir.