Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 13 : Former Indian cricketer Madan Lal said on Saturday that the clash between India and Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup would not be "easy to predict" given the short and unpredictable nature of T20Is.
He expressed solidarity with the country's emotion of patriotism and anger following the Pahalgam terror attacks. Still, he said that the match cannot be avoided, with the bread and butter of so many people dependent on it, and the government having given clearance to the match.
The clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan, usually a highly anticipated contest during Asia Cup/ICC events due to the absence of bilateral series between the two nations since 2013, has faced immense opposition this time from the political front. Fans alike are following the Pahalgam terror attacks in April and the Indian Armed Forces' consequent launch of Operation Sindoor against Pakistan-sponsored terror. The match will take place in Dubai on Sunday.
Speaking to ANI ahead of the match, Madan Lal said, "The competition will be there because T20I is a shorter format. If it were a Test or an ODI, you could say India are the favourites. It is not easy to predict in T20Is, as in a matter of a few overs, the game changes. It will be a great contest. Pakistan has changed its planning; its top-order is trying to hit, play attacking cricket, and hit unorthodox shots. The question is, will they play these shots against India?".
The former World Cup-winning legend said that there is politics every time the match between these arch-rivals takes place. He said that while the Pahalgam terrorist attack hurt every Indian, including him, there are a lot of people involved in the match from top to bottom whose bread and butter is dependent on the match.
"The government has given permission, so what is the problem? We had made the decision not to go to Pakistan. It is upto Pakistan to decide if they want to play or not. Definitely, the Pahalgam attack hurt us; we are patriotic. It is time to give them a "double jawaab". Pakistan is unlikely to change; it will remain the same. However, you cannot avoid this (the match), as there are many people whose livelihood depends on it, from telecasters to those at the top. But our sentiment is with the nation, of patriotism. But it is upto us how we reply to Pakistan. Where does BCCI stand?" he added.
India kick-started their campaign with a nine-wicket win over UAE, while Pakistan secured a 93-run win over Oman on Friday.
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Moqim.