India is prepared to confront Pakistan in the third match of the 2023 Asia Cup, scheduled for Saturday, September 2. It will be intriguing to witness which team prevails in this upcoming showdown. In this context, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir expressed the view that the Indian batsmen should adopt an aggressive approach against the opposition, rather than focusing on mere survival.
“Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, your approach has to be clear against Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah. Look at scoring runs, not surviving. When you score runs, you are in better rhythm and have better backlift and footwork,” Gambhir said on Star Sports’ Game Plan.
Pakistan enters the game with confidence, following a convincing 238-run victory over Nepal in the Asia Cup opener. One of the most intriguing aspects of this match is the showdown between India’s renowned batting lineup and Pakistan’s formidable pace bowling.
“Look at scoring runs, not surviving” – Gautam Gambhir’s advice to Team India
Star players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, the returning Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, and others will face off against some of the fiercest fast bowlers in international cricket, including Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf.
In the T20 World Cup last year, Pakistan had India struggling at 31/4 during the pursuit of a 160-run target before Virat Kohli’s exceptional batting saved India in Melbourne. In 2021, Babar Azam’s team secured a 10-wicket victory after limiting India to 151/7 in 20 overs.
Consequently, one of the main tasks for the Indian batsmen is to effectively counter the Pakistan pace trio, and former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir had a message for opening pair Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill ahead of the highly anticipated match. Gambhir encouraged both openers not to play conservatively but to adopt a positive approach when they step onto the field on Saturday.
“Often, people talk about Shaheen and Naseem troubling the Indian batters in the World Cup. But it’s all in the past now. ODI is a different format, batters have time to settle into the crease. It’s important to bat in positions where if you get a half-volley, you look to hit it, not just survive. The more positive you are, the more you create pressure. Keep it simple, past is in the past. It’s a new day, new match, different format. Be in attacking mode,” said the former India opener further.
Pakistan sticks with their victorious XI from the Nepal match, announcing their lineup a day before the Saturday clash, just as they did for the Asia Cup opener.
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