T20 World Cup 2022: "Don't look to survive, look to score runs from him" - Gautam Gambhir on Indian batters facing Shaheen Afridi

Former opener Gautam Gambhir believes Team India shouldn't go into a shell against star Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi when the two teams lock horns at the MCG on October 23 in the T20 World Cup 2022.

The left-arm pacer dismantled India's plans with his new-ball burst last year and that played a big role in Pakistan registering their first win over the Men in Blue in World Cup history.

However, while speaking on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir explained why the top order should look to be positive against Shaheen. He feels Rohit Sharma and Co. have enough quality to deal with the pacer. He said:

“When it comes to Shaheen Afridi, don’t look to survive. Look to score runs from him. Because the moment you look to survive, everything becomes really small. Whether it’s your backlift, whether it’s your footwork, and obviously, in T20 cricket you can’t look to survive. I know that he can be dangerous with the new ball, but India has got the quality in their top 3 or 4 who can definitely take on Shaheen Shah Afridi.”

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Irfan Pathan on Indian batters' gameplan at MCG

Since the dimensions of the MCG are huge with bigger square boundaries, Irfan Pathan has pointed out that the batters need to hit straight if they are looking to play big shots. The former left-arm seamer also believes that running between the wickets will be crucial on such a huge ground.

On this, here's what Pathan had to say to Star Sports:

“Look, one thing is clear. When you play at the MCG, the straight boundaries are not that big. It’s the side boundaries that are massive. Obviously, India needs to be smart, especially the batting. Probably, it will be difficult to hit the side boundaries, so they have to play the gaps and probably convert the twos into threes and ones into twos, because running between the wickets will very important.”

Will the Men in Blue overcome the Shaheen Afridi hurdle in their T20 World Cup opener? Let us know in the comments.