Mumbai, Oct 16, 2021- Former India all-rounder Ajit Agarkar believes that stakes are always high when India and Pakistan play together in a World Cup. He also said that Pakistan may not pose much of a challenge, taking into consideration the form of the Indian team and statistics.
“The stakes are always high when India and Pakistan play together but going by Team India’s current form and taking the stats into consideration, I don’t think Pakistan will pose that much of a challenge. Having said that, I don’t think we should take our neighbours lightly because cricket is a funny game, and things can change at any moment, especially in the T20 format,” Agarkar told on ‘Class of 2007’ show on Star Sports.
Talking about the 2007 World Cup, which India won after defeating Pakistan by five runs in the final, Agarkar said, “The entire tournament (2007 T20 World Cup) was a dream tour for us. We never thought a bunch of youngsters could achieve such a feat, that too against Pakistan. I think the India-Pakistan rivalry always brings a tidal wave of emotions and is one the most anticipated clashes in the World Cup.”
Meanwhile, former pacer Irfan Pathan recalled why the bowl-out match, which India won in the group stage against Pakistan in Durban, is his most memorable match from the tournament.
“I still remember how one by one, almost all senior players pulled themselves out of the first-ever T20 World Cup and Team India entered the tournament with a fairly young and inexperienced side. I think I still had more experience in the new format, as I played for the Middlesex team for a brief period. I think we became a unit after we beat Pakistan in the bowl-out. That is probably my most favourite match of the entire tournament.”
The ‘Class of 2007’ show featuring Pathan, Agarkar along with Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, Dinesh Karthik and S. Sreesanth will be broadcasted on October 18 at 1 PM on Star Sports. The show is coming on the day when India will play their first practice match of the men’s T20 World Cup against England in Dubai. (Agency)
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