CWC: Pakistan veterans advise seamers to target Rohit’s toes for early blow, back Shaheen to strike gold

It has always been about Indian batters vs Pakistani bowlers. Rohit Sharma, the India captain, is in top-notch form, having recently struck a record-breaking 131 against Afghanistan in the World Cup 2023. While Virat Kohli and KL Rahul had also been among the runs, the onus would be on Rohit to provide India with a stellar start against Pakistan in the most-awaited CWC match on Saturday (Oct 14).

With all eyeballs on this game in Ahmedabad, two former Pakistan veterans, Wasim Akram and Moin Khan, while speaking during a TV show in Pakistan, shared their thoughts on how big a threat Rohit be for Pakistan and how they can get rid of him early on.

While Wasim shed some light on Rohit’s ability to take the game away from the opposition in a fraction of a moment, Moin explained how the Pakistani new-ball bowlers, mainly Shaheen Shah Afridi, get the big wicket of the Indian captain.

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“Rohit Sharma looked so beautiful. He played proper shots and took no risks at all. He had a lot more time than the other batters. Kohli scored a fifty, it was a good knock, he was in control, but Rohit was a different beast altogether,” Wasim Akram said on A Sports.

“Look at his record. He has got seven World Cup hundreds in just 19 innings. The great Sachin Tendulkar scored 6 in 44 innings. Sangakkara had five in 35 innings, and Ponting scored five centuries in 42 innings. So, to get seven centuries so quickly in World Cups is phenomenal,” Akram added.

Rohit’s most recent knock against Afghanistan, a team with perhaps the best spin-bowling attack in the tournament, highlights his supreme ability to take down any attack at will.

Though he mostly looks untouchable at the crease once he finds his rhythm, Pakistan has a history of finding loopholes in his technique, somewhat like how they did during the Asia Cup 2023 match against India by dismissing him early on.

Moin Khan added, “He has to be dismissed early, maybe if Shaheen lands a yorker or someone bowls a very good bouncer. Otherwise, it seems very difficult to get him out.”

Shaheen vs Rohit – a battle to look out for

While during the first encounter in the Asia Cup 2023, Shaheen clean bowled Rohit with an inswinger, the India Captain dodged tight lines in the second match in Super Four to smash their star-studded attack for runs.

Would Rohit score runs against Pakistan’s attack, or will Shaheen keep the Indian batters silent with his lethal new-ball spell? Come Saturday, all questions will be answered.

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