Former Pakistani captain Rashid Latif believes the Men In Blue are favourites for the tie, while adding a caution that his team can’t be written off.
India, captained by Suryakumar Yadav, launched their campaign with a thumping nine-wicket victory against Hong Kong, showcasing excellent balance.
Pakistan, meanwhile, begin their tournament against Oman on Friday, before entering the marquee clash versus India on Sunday.
Latif highlighted India’s bowling attack, featuring Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Mavi.
According to him, India maintains a perfect equilibrium with five specialist batters and five bowlers, which complements their tactic.
Latif stressed that both nations are undergoing transition phases, playing without star players, yet still producing notable performances.
He added that India appears much more composed under pressure, which gives it a tactical advantage against Pakistan.
Psychological pressure intensified after Operation Sindoor, India’s brief 2.5-hour retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, he later remarked.
Latif emphasised that the victorious side will be hailed as the ultimate ‘Sikandar’ by the supporters.
Latif later praised the strike rate of Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson alongside India’s disciplined bowling.
He underlined India’s squad depth, noting strong performers like Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kisan and Yashasvi Jaiswal remain excluded due to competition.
Nevertheless, Latif maintained that Pakistan possess aggressive batters like Sahibzada Farhan and Mohammad Nawaz who are capable of surprises.
The former captain pinned hope on Pakistan’s batters to do wonders against India in the mega showdown.
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