'If Shaheen's New Ball Threat..,' Wahab Riaz Alerts India

image-lm0hqn03Shaheen Afridi takes off after knocking Rohit Sharma over (Image Credit: ICC)

Former Pakistan left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz has advised the Indian opening duo of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill to be circumspect against Shaheen Afridi against the new ball in their upcoming clash against Pakistan on Saturday.

Shaheen is one of the most threatening new-ball bowlers of the current era, troubling the top-order batsmen consistently with his ability to move the ball in both directions at high pace.

Afridi got the better of the Indian openers in the 2021 T20 World Cup, and will again pose a massive threat to Sharma and Gill in the upcoming clash.

However, Wahab feels that the longer format will allow Rohit and Gill to be circumspect early on, unlike in T20Is, where the batters are always under pressure to move the scoring rate.

Speaking to Zalmi Tv, the former pacer said:

Shaheen has always been an impact bowler and not just India, he has troubled most of his opponents with the new ball. But T20 cricket and one-day cricket are different.

"In T20s, you have to attack and try and score runs. But in one-day cricket, you can survive the new ball phase and then accelerate. So I feel it's more about how India strategically negotiates the new ball threat and then they will get the opportunity to score runs."

Apart from Shaheen, Riaz stated that someone like Haris Rauf will also be a sizeable challenge to the Indian batters during the middle-overs.

He also pinpointed that the addition of champion pacer Jasprit Bumrah to the Indian set-up makes their bowling attack a lot more potent, and it is something that the Pakistanis should be wary of.

"Pakistan have to think about what if Shaheen's new ball threat is negotiated and that's where I feel Haris Rauf will be important. He has pace and gets bounce. It's all about how India handles pressure against the Pakistan bowling attack as they have all the shots. Pakistan bowling vs Indian batting will be an interesting contest.

"I think even the Indian bowling can't be ignored now as Bumrah's comeback will make them more impactful, something they were missing for a while."

This is the first time that India and Pakistan will face each other in an ODI since the 2019 World Cup. This match will also give both sided an opportunity to assess each other ahead of their more important clash during the Super-4 stage and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.