In their Asia Cup match against Pakistan on Saturday in Pallekele, Ravi Shastri thinks India just barely holds the advantage. On the eve of the match, Shastri told ESPNcricinfo that Pakistan was a much better team and had “narrowed the gap” to India, yet India had the edge due to the strength of their lineup and the presence of a seasoned skipper in Rohit Sharma.
He said,”I would say India start as favourites. This is their strongest team since 2011, this mix of players,” Shastri said. “And a captain who is seasoned, who understands the terrain better than most. Having said that, Pakistan have narrowed the gap. Seven-eight years [ago], there was a gap if you looked at the strength of both teams and man to man. But Pakistan have narrowed it down. They are a very good side, so you have to be on top of your game.”
If India’s fielding raises their bar, then they’ll be an even stronger side: Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri heaped praise about the Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and discussed his tendency to convert his starts into big hundreds. The former Indian team head coach said, “He [Babar] converts those 30s and 40s starts into hundreds.And it is so important. We keep saying to go out there and face a number of balls, but if one of your top three gets a hundred, you get 300-plus.Fielding will be crucial [too], you’ll have to see which team fields better. Sri Lanka won the last Asia Cup on [the back of their] fielding. They’ve long been the best fielding side in the subcontinent, right from 1996. They were outstanding in the last Asia Cup. They are holders, let’s not forget, so don’t discount them in Sri Lankan conditions. If India’s fielding raises their bar, then they’ll be an even stronger side.”
The former bowling all-rounder spoke about the Indian team ahead of the 2023 Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup 2023. He said, “This is India’s strongest team since 2011. They have a captain who is seasoned, who understands the terrain better than most.”
