Veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli need to lead from the front in the mega Asia Cup encounter against Pakistan on September 2. The men in blue will start their campaign in the continental event on Saturday and it is going to be a high-pressure game for them when they face arch-rival Pakistan.
India have enjoyed a dominating record against Pakistan in the past few outings in the ODIs, winning four out of five games. However, the Pakistan cricket team has improved a lot since they last faced India in the 50-over format; during the 2019 ODI World Cup.
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Harbhajan, who was involved in numerous IND vs PAK thrillers during his illustrious career, said that the match between the arch-rivals is always special.
“I believe India must be ready for this game. They’ve been practicing hard. On the last tour of the West Indies, many players like Rohit and Virat were not part of the series. But India versus Pakistan is always a special game. It’s a high-pressure game. Kohli, Rohit and the other guys will be very keen to showcase their talent,” Harbhajan told Sports Today.
The veteran off-spinner feels that the pressure will be on the senior players like Kohli and Rohit to perform at the big stage.
“There’s always pressure on senior players. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma need to lead from the front. There will be huge pressure on Kohli and Rohit to perform because they are the most senior players. But they’ve always come good against Pakistan and hopefully, they will come good tomorrow as well,” Harbhajan added.
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Rohit smashed a century when the two teams faced each other in the 2019 ODI World Cup, while Kohli displayed his batting masterclass in the 2022 T20 World Cup clash with an unbeaten 82-run knock.
The former India spinner further said that young Shubman Gill will look to make a big impact on his outing against Pakistan.
“Someone like Shubman Gill will be playing his first match against Pakistan, in a high-voltage match. He will be keen to perform. I believe India is ready for this competition,” said Harbhajan.
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