TimesofIndia.com in Dubai: Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has called India firm favourites to win their Super Four encounter against Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup. The two teams will be meeting again on Sunday after an eventful clash last week and the tension is expected to remain high when the players take the field at the Dubai International Stadium.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“There is a lot of tension between India and Pakistan, and now it has reached the ground as well, which was not the case earlier,” Rashid Latif told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.A lot is happening off the field too and Pakistan have cancelled their pre-match press-conference for the second time in a row. No one seems to know the exact reason but there has been no dearth of drama in the multi-nation event.“Don’t know what is happening,” said Latif.
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The former Pakistan captain Latif feels that in T20Is anyone can win on their day but admits India are too strong.“In T20, anything can happen. Oman played very well yesterday. It’s difficult to pick favourites in T20Is. In ODIs and Tests, you can say who is favourite and who is not. But in T20Is, you can’t. But if we look in hindsight, India is a strong team,” he added.Latif credited India’s robust domestic set-up and the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the side’s domination across formats.“The competition (IPL) Indian players play is of high quality. Pakistan plays in the PSL. There is a gulf of difference between IPL and PSL.“The difference between the two sides is also the experience. This Indian team is also a bit inexperienced with senior players like Rohit, Virat and Jadeja retiring. And even though they don’t have much experience, they have played some high-quality cricket,” he said.
Latif called Pakistan a weak team because of their fragile batting order and it has been evident with their poor starts. Opener Saim Ayub is yet to open his account in this tournament and has registered three ducks. Captain Salman Ali Agha has scored 0, 3, and 20 in their three outings.Sahibzada Farhan, picked for his aggressive batting, has looked all at sea. Pakistan are slowly sliding Hasan Nawaz down the order. Once an opener, he batted at No. 4, and is now coming in at 5 or 6. Hasan entered the Asia Cup as Pakistan’s most promising batter but is now being reduced to a lower-order role.“Pakistan looks like a weak team and everyone can see it. But you can’t write them off as well. It is 75-25 to India. India are favourites,” Latif said.“You sometimes see one player not in form, but for Pakistan, the scenario is different. Saim Ayub is not in form, captain Salman Ali Agha is not in form, Mohammad Haris is struggling, Sahibzada Farhan is not looking in touch, Hasan Nawaz is struggling. If five of the top six batters are struggling, then it gets difficult,” he added.Latif feels the only way Pakistan can beat India is if one of their batters has an exceptional day; otherwise, on paper, India looks a force to reckon with.“Only individual brilliance can help Pakistan win. Kisi ne kar diya toh kar diya (if someone has that kind of a day, then it’s fine). No doubt India is a very strong team and it will be difficult for Pakistan to register a win against India,” he concluded.
