If Pakistan sees off Jasprit Bumrah’s four overs well, they will have a chance to win: Sourav Ganguly

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has stated that India is a stronger team compared to Pakistan ahead of the marquee clash between these two sides on Sunday, February 15, at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Speaking exclusively on JioHotstar, Ganguly asserted that the Indian team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, is very well balanced in all three departments of the game. However, he didn’t pick the winner as it’s quite tough to pick the favorites in the T20 format.

"I don't believe in head-to-head figures. I don't believe in the favourites tag, especially in T20 cricket. What I believe is that India start as a much stronger team than Pakistan. India are a very good team. They are very well balanced in batting, bowling, seam bowling, spin bowling, fielding and game sense. They have big match experience. So they start as the stronger side. But whether India win or not will be decided by the 40 overs in Colombo,” Ganguly told JioHotstar.

Furthermore, Ganguly also shared his views on the Pakistan off-spinner Usman Tariq posing a major threat to the Indian team. Dada reckoned that the off-spinner would have a little advantage against left-handed batters.

"Usman Tariq has an unusual slingy action, but he is an off spinner. So Indian batters will play him as an off spinner. I am sure they will find a way to play well against him. These days, batters hit sixes while standing still in the crease. There will be a lot of right-handed Indian batters against him, but India also have many left-handers. Usman Tariq will have a little advantage when bowling to lefties. But the right-handers like Hardik and Surya will cause problems for him,” he added.

Additionally, the former skipper has heaped praise on the Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has a lot of variations in his kitty. He asserted that if Pakistan sees off Bumrah’s four overs, Men In Green have a good chance of winning the game.

"Jasprit Bumrah is a game changer. He is probably the best fast bowler in the world right now in white-ball cricket. He is the best because of his variations. Yorkers, bouncers, slower balls, he knows what to do. He is the captain of his own bowling. That makes him even tougher to face. The battle between Sahibzada Farhan and Bumrah will be exciting to watch. But it is not just about one player. All the Pakistani batters will have to play well against Bumrah. If Pakistan see off his four overs well, they will have a chance to win. If they don't, they will struggle,” he concluded.

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