With USA welcoming and co-hosting a big-ticket cricket tournament for the first time on its soil that is dominated by baseball and basketball, there can’t be a bigger advertisement of the game than witnessing the sport’s traditional rivals India and Pakistan facing off.
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In its build-up to the start of the tournament, the event’s official broadcaster Star Sports had World Cup winners Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan and Misbah-ul-Haq sharing their two cents on the tournament as a whole and the mouth-watering India vs Pakistan clash at the Nasau Country International Cricket Stadium.
When asked who could be the biggest threat for Pakistan, Misbah, who was the captain of the side that lost to India in the 2007 T20 World Cup final, didn’t mince words in saying: “Sabse badi rukawat toh Virat Kohli honge (Virat will be the biggest obstacle).”
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India take on Pakistan are clubbed in Group A along with co-hosts USA, Canada, and Ireland. While India open their campaign against Ireland on June 5, Pakistan will take on USA on June 6.
The Caribbean islands will join USA as co-hosts of the June 2 t0 29 tournament.
Both India and Pakistan have won the tournament once each — India in 2007 and Pakistan in 2009.
“In Pakistan-India matches, it depends a lot on who has conquered this fort earlier, who has the confidence behind him that he has won these matches for his country before because those players know where the pressure can reach and how it needs to be handled. In that, sabse badi rukawat to Virat Kohli honge,” Misbah further said on the show.
“He (Kohli) is one player who has time and again in difficult situations, even if you talk about the last World Cup, snatched the game out of the opposition’s hand. Such players are always dangerous. You have to think first about that. Paksitan will now that.”
Misbah also named the bowler he think will leave the biggest imapct in this edition of the T20 World Cup.
“In bowling, there is one name, an experienced campaigner who I like personally as a bowler, that is Bumrah),” said the ex-Pakistan skipper.
“In limited-overs formats, the way he bowls with the new ball and the old ball, he will definitely leave an impact. He can play a key role for India…initial punch toh wohi maar sakte hain Pakistan ko (Bumrah can deliver the opening punch).”
