Srinagar: Unlike most of the experts who have predicted India as clear favourites for its Champions Trophy clash vs Pakistan, former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has said that Pakistan have advantage.
Yuvraj Singh said that Pakistan has advantage as they have played a lot of cricket in Dubai and understand the conditions really well.
Unlike the 50-over and T20 World Cups, Pakistan has a 3-2 advantage over India in the Champions Trophy, having secured a 180-run triumph in the 2017 final. They will be heading to Dubai with plenty of momentum.
Speaking ahead of the match, Yuvraj said on JioHotstar’s ‘Greatest Rivalry Returns’ programme, “I actually think Pakistan has an advantage because they have a base in Dubai. They have played a lot of cricket there and understand the conditions well.”
“You talk about match-winners–yes, I agree with Shahid Afridi that we have more match-winners. But I believe that even if Pakistan has fewer match-winners, one player can still take the game away. The India-Pakistan clash is not about match-winners alone; it’s about playing in the moment, adapting to the situation, and not letting expectations overwhelm you. The team that does this better will win the game for their country,” he concluded.
India squad for Champions Trophy: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Pakistan squad for Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.