Hasan also admitted that he was disappointed at the way Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis had resigned as head coach and bowling coach before the World Cup.
Pakistan seamer Hasan Ali is confident that his team can beat arch-rivals India in the opening match of the ICC T20 World Cup, replicating its convincing win in the 2017 Champions Trophy final at the Oval.
Since then, Pakistan has played India twice in the 50-over format and got thrashed both times — at the 2018 Asia Cup in Dubai and the 2019 ODI World Cup in England.
Before every global event, there is always a lot of hullabaloo from the Pakistan corner but till date, they haven’t beaten India in either 50-over or T20 World Cup games.
In fact, they have also failed to beat India in practice games.
“When we won the Champions Trophy (in 2017), it was a very good time for us and we will try to beat them again in the T20 World Cup. We will give our best. Playing against India is always a pressure game because of the expectations of fans from both countries,” Hasan told a virtual media conference on Wednesday.
He pointed out that the Pakistan and India match are the most-watched ones at the global events.
“Even those people who don’t normally watch cricket follow the India vs Pakistan matches, so the pressure on the players is high but we will give it our best.”
Hasan also feels that spinners would dominate in the dry conditions in UAE but it didn’t mean that pacers couldn’t do well in those conditions.
“We know how to bowl in those conditions but yes you can see all teams have picked many spinners in their squads.”
Disappointed at Misbah and Waqar’s resignations, says Hasan
Hasan also admitted that he was disappointed at the way Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis had resigned as head coach and bowling coach before the World Cup
“Honestly speaking, I was disappointed because the World Cup was coming and such a change happened and they left,” he said.
“But it is not our domain as a player and this is something for the Pakistan Cricket Board and others to handle. Our job is to perform and try to win matches for Pakistan.”
Hasan said that Waqar was a role model for him and he would miss his guidance but as a professional one has to move on.
“I wish them the best. I will miss Waqar’s guidance as I took up bowling after watching him bowl on screen.”
Hasan also spoke on the appointment of Vernon Philander as the bowling consultant with the Pakistan team for the World Cup.
“We all know that Philander is a great bowler and he has performed at the top level. We are looking forward to working with him but it is too early to say how much benefit we can get from him as this will only be clear once he joins the squad.”
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