00:00Right plenty of positives for the Indian team in that win versus Bangladesh but
00:04if there were any hiccups they can sort that out as they get into the tournament
00:08proper with a big game coming up versus Pakistan and that's going to be a focus
00:13on the broadcast for the next 20 odd minutes that we are live. You're going to
00:16be joined by our cricket analyst in Sunny Gavaskar. Sahi bhai, let's try and
00:21set up this contest India versus Pakistan always the marquee clash in any
00:26tournament. I know everyone's picked India as the favorite but do you think
00:30it's as clear-cut as that India clear favorites or do you think this Pakistan
00:34team despite a setback in their first game can spring a surprise?
00:41Look in cricket anything can happen you need just one player to be the game
00:45changer whether it's with the bat or the ball and Pakistan have always had
00:49mercurial players you know somebody you know who will come in and play a blind
00:52out or somebody who will you know bowl an amazing spell that kind of a
00:57they've always had that so it's very difficult to say totally that India is not the right
01:04favorite but you look at the all-round strength of the Indian team the batting
01:07depth that the Indian team has the variety at the top of the batting as
01:10well somebody like a Rohit Sharma who will go bang bang from the first ball
01:14Shubman Gill who will work his way around Rahul down the order
01:17Hardik Pandya down the order so there's so much of all-round strength in the
01:21Indian team so they clearly start the favorites.
01:26Okay so you know it's often said I know it's a cliche but it's often said India
01:30versus Pakistan is a game where it's a game of nerves whichever team handles
01:35pressure better ends up on the winning side would it be fair to say that
01:40considering how the tournament has panned out so far India registering their win
01:44versus Bangladesh whereas Pakistan losing their first encounter and now
01:49it's almost going to be a do-or-die game for the Pakistan team versus India fair
01:53to say that Pakistan would be the team under more pressure compared to India?
01:56Definitely no question whatsoever they will be under far more pressure having
02:04lost their first game to New Zealand they'll be under far more pressure India
02:08but that said the Champions Trophy is the one one tournament where they have
02:12managed to score over India not the World Cups not the T20 World Cups but in
02:17the Champions Trophy so maybe that is something that they'll be looking to
02:21hang on to as far as getting their confidence back.
02:26So we started this particular broadcast looking at the areas that India can
02:31improve upon if I was to ask you the same question from that win versus
02:36Bangladesh of course India have that advantage they've played a game here in
02:40Dubai whereas Pakistan will be playing the first game of the tournament here so
02:44to get used to the conditions they don't have that much time India in that sense
02:49would be prepared having played against Bangladesh what are the lessons you
02:52think India can take from that game and then utilize those particular lessons in
02:56the game versus Pakistan?
02:59Well the learning would be obviously about the pitch that's also an important
03:02factor probably the most important factor and from that they will know
03:06that you know what they need to do look the pace has got the wickets from both
03:10teams when you look at the the wickets taken Shami take five, Harshit Rana picking a
03:16couple of wickets and then from the Pakistan team as well the pacers I'm
03:22sorry from the Bangladesh team as well there were a couple of wickets are taken
03:26and so clearly therefore there was you know the fact that you know while the
03:31pacers got the wickets you have to look at that but the spinners were the ones
03:34who kept control the spinners were the ones who really bowled tightly for both
03:38both the teams and so therefore I would imagine that they would look maybe maybe
03:42maybe maybe with Hardik Pandya coming in as a new ball bowler they may look to
03:48go in with an extra spin bowler in Varun Chakravorty for the game against
03:52Pakistan.
03:54Okay that's those are very interesting thoughts by Sunny Gavaskar you know it's
03:58I'd have to say Sunny by a bit of left field selection out of the box where you
04:02think go in with that extra spinner India already playing three now you're
04:06saying four spinners do you think you know keeping that in mind Pakistan on
04:12the other hand have only got you know one spinner in their ranks do you think
04:16that that they'd be ruling that fact that here listen here's his Indian team
04:20which might be thinking of playing four spinners on the track that you have in
04:23Dubai and they've only selected one spinner in a bra.
04:29Well yes I would imagine so because look I think yes Pakistan strength has always
04:33been their fast bowling but and maybe because they do not really have the kind
04:39of quality spinners that they had like in Abdul Qadir, Iqbal Qasim, Tauseer
04:44Fahmad that you know those kind of spinners are probably not around and
04:48which is the reason why they have gone with with a pace strong attack
04:53and just one spinner but these are slow pitches the pitches in Dubai because of
04:57a lot of cricket being played there the IIT 20 just finished about a week ago
05:01week 10 days ago before that there were a lot of matches being played UAE teams
05:05were playing a lot of matches there so the pitch is tired we saw it in the
05:10Bangladesh game there was no grass on the pitch and therefore the bowlers were
05:14if the spinners were able to get a little more out of it than the quick
05:17stick. Okay you spoke about Pakistan's bowling
05:22Saim, let's take a closer look at their batting because that came under
05:25scrutiny in the game versus New Zealand and you know if you're looking at it
05:29from the outside one thing that really disrupted their batting combination in
05:33that game Fakhar Zaman, injury to Fakhar Zaman he comes down the order completely
05:36upsets that batting order now they've come into this tournament you know with
05:41Saim Ayub one of their rising stars injured that was a jolt to begin with
05:45now Fakhar Zaman the other guy who could really give them the start that
05:48they needed is injured they've got Imamul Haq now do you think that's
05:52disrupted Pakistan's batting and that has really put them in the back foot in
05:57this tournament? Well openers are so essential we see that with any team
06:04opening batting opening bowling they give the get the teams off to a good
06:08start opening bowlers take you wickets in the first 10 overs opening batters
06:11don't lose wickets and get to maybe 50 60 in the first 10 overs that makes a
06:16big difference so with an opener gone and somebody who's who really is playing
06:22Fakhar Zaman is low as far as Pakistan's concerned Imamul Haq is a very fine player
06:29he's got hundreds in the one day one day game Imamul Haq is a very fine
06:33player but I would imagine that you know Pakistan will feel just a little bit
06:38left out. Okay Sunny Gavaskar still live with us Sunny bhai those are telling
06:45stats you know that we just presented to our viewers I think last six
06:50dismissals five have come against a leg spinner that's that between 2019 pre
06:562019 gets out to spinner one every four innings from 2019 onwards is getting out
07:01to one every second inning is a dismissal to a spinner these are really
07:05telling numbers I mean it's not that Virat hasn't been out of form he has
07:09been out of form throughout his long career but he's found a way to come back
07:13now it's becoming increasingly open secret that leg spinners or slow bowlers
07:19are troubling him do you think the teams are now mindful of that everyone
07:23knows about it and now the strategy is simple Virat is there in white ball
07:27cricket bring on a spinner and there you have it his wicket it is it is it is to
07:33a great extent due to the fact that the bat face opens up see as same thing
07:37happens when when he's playing against the quicks in Australia the bat face
07:40opening up looking to play through the covers opening the face of the bat that
07:44gets him into trouble so that is something that he's going to watch out
07:48for even when he got out in a couple of times before he got out he reached for
07:53Rishabh the ball turned the bat face open and luckily it bat face open and so
07:57there was no Nick so that is something that he'll have to tighten up on now but
08:01yes I guess if you're getting out to the same kind of bowling then you you there
08:07is a there's a bit of concern there
08:11okay so that was about Virat Kohli how he should approach the game but rest of
08:15the Indian batters we saw not a great pitch to bat on in their first game what
08:19is the ideal approach Indian batters must have when they're facing Pakistan
08:23here in Dubai I think it whatever happened actually happened for the best
08:29because if India having dismissed Bangladesh half the team for 35 and
08:34knocked them all for 125 for example that would not have really tested them
08:38at all that would not have tested them at all it would have it would have been
08:43you know just a walk over but having this where they had to go deep
08:47certainly India as far as I'm concerned that their batters their bowlers both
08:52have had a measure of what the pitch will be doing the pitch for the game is
08:56not the same pitch in Dubai just a couple of you know pitches away so it
09:01could be maybe just a little bit harder just a little bit quicker but again the
09:06experience of India having played over there just getting the feeling you know
09:10the atmosphere around will definitely be a big plus as far as India is concerned
09:16all right son if I will leave it at that thanks so much for taking our time
09:20speaking to us on India
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