IND vs PAK 2022: "So clearly, that is one headache gone" - Sunil Gavaskar on Shaheen Afridi's return to Pakistan XI

Legendary Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar believes Pakistan will be relieved with the return of Shaheen Afridi ahead of their T20 World Cup opener. The Men in Green will clash against arch-rivals India at the MCG on Sunday, October 23.

Afridi has spent the last few months recovering from a knee injury and there were doubts about his availability for the meeting with India. However, the speedster was named in Pakistan's squad for the T20 World Cup and returned to practice as well.

He also seemed to be at his best during his opening spell against Afghanistan in the warm-up game, picking up a couple of wickets in the process.

Speaking to Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar noted that apart from proving his fitness, Afridi was also able to bowl at full tilt. He believes the latter aspect will definitely boost Pakistan's morale and said:

"I think that's what their main concern was, about his fitness and how he will shape up. And certainly, in the two overs that he bowled [against Afghanistan], he's shown that he's back to full fitness. So clearly, that is one headache gone."

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Sunil Gavaskar on Pakistan's improved catching

Sunil Gavaskar feels another box that Pakistan have ticked is their fielding. On big grounds in Australia, fielding could be one of the major differences between winning and losing games.

The Men in Green struggled with their catching in the Asia Cup 2022 and the seven-match T20I series against England. Howver, they seem to have worked on it heading into the T20 World Cup.

Gavaskar hailed Pakistan for their brilliance in the field during their warm-up game against Afghanistan. He believes it could give them more confidence ahead of their match against India:

"I think with their catching, they were much better than what we saw against England. Their ground fielding was very good. These are two aspects that was worrying them and they have shown improvement in those areas. So, I don't think they'll have any doubts when they'll take on India on Sunday."

It's worth noting that rain has been predicted on the day of the match between India and Pakistan. We could see a rain-curtailed outing, which will undoubtedly make fielding and tight bowling extremely vital.

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With rain predicted and conditions likely to suit fast bowlers, do Pakistan start as favorites against India? Let us know in the comments.