Inzamam-ul-Haq said that on conditions similar to those in the Indian subcontinent, the Virat Kohli-led side will be the “most dangerous team” in the T20 World Cup
Pakistan cricket great Inzamam-ul-Haq has touted India as the team to beat at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman. Inzamam made the remarks following India’s second straight warm-up victory on Wednesday. India eased to a comfortable win over Australia, two days after victory over England, to end the warm-up matches on the best possible note. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Inzamam said that on conditions similar to those in the Indian subcontinent, the Virat Kohli-led side will be the “most dangerous team” in the competition.
“In subcontinental pitches, this is the most dangerous team in T20 cricket. If you look at the game (against Australia), the way they chased down 155 runs (153) – Virat Kohli did not even bat – they chased it with ease. They did not face any difficulty against a team like Australia,” said the former Pakistan captain.
“In a tournament, you can never say for certain that a particular team would win; it is about chances. In my opinion, the Indian team has higher chances (to win the title) than the rest of the teams, especially in these conditions,” he added.
“They have many experienced players in T20 cricket. And it’s not just their batting, their bowling unit is also very experienced.”
Inzamam added that spin would be a major factor as the tournament progresses.
“The way I am seeing it, as more matches are played in the UAE, you will see the ball spin more. They have (Ravichandran) Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja, two very experienced spinners. Another thing is that they themselves are very good players against spin. That is a big advantage for them,” he explained.
Speaking about the India-Pakistan game on October 24 in Dubai, campaign-opener for both sides, Inzamam said that Pakistan will be no pushovers.
“The match between India and Pakistan on October 24 is a final before the final. The kind of hype there is around this match, there won’t be anything similar for another game,” he said.
“This Pakistan team is best in T20s among all three formats. So, I think this will be a good match to watch,” he added.