ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Harbhajan Singh feels Pakistan don't match up to India

What’s the story?

In his column for the International Cricket Coucil, Harbhajan Singh says that India have a strong chance of coming out on top against Pakistan in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday (June 18).

“The fact that we’ve had a host of players click in the run up to this final will be our biggest advantage. The number of match-winners in this side is something that will give Virat Kohli and his men the utmost confidence on Sunday. Pakistan don’t match up if you’re making a comparison to India. In all departments, be it talent or experience, we are ahead by some distance,” wrote the off-spinner.

Furthermore, he also believes that India have a lot in their tank and Pakistan will need to punch way above their weight to create an impact against Kohli’s men.

“India also has a great head-to-head record against Pakistan in ICC tournaments, so that will surely play on everyone’s mind. India’s team is young, confident and will be raring to go on Sunday at The Oval and Pakistan will have to put in one hell of a shift against them,” he added.

In case you didn’t know...

India-Pakistan matches in the tournament have a head-to-head of 2-2 for now

India beat Pakistan comprehensively in their opening game of the tournament in a Group B match. However, Pakistan have shown significant signs of improvement from then and have not lost a single match thereafter to reach their maiden Champions Trophy final.

The arch rivals will take on each other at The Oval, where India will look to defend their title and Pakistan will aim at winning the tournament for the first time.

The details

Praising India’s performance in the semi-final, Singh said that Kohli’s team got everything right from the toss itself. He applauded Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan for their batting effort while lauding Jasprit Bumrah’s consistency with the ball.

He also talked about the rise of Bangladesh cricket and stated that they might very well turn out to be a force to reckon with in future ICC tournaments.

What next?

Sunday will bear witness to a tussle between India’s strong batting line-up and Pakistan’s ferocious bowling unit. You would feel that the team that ends up fielding first has an advantage in a high-octane, high-pressure game like this.

India will go on to the No. 1 position in ICC ODI Rankings if they win the tournament and Pakistan will to the sixth place from No. 8 if they are crowned champions.

Author’s take

While India do seem like overwhelming favourites for the final, Pakistan have shown great commitment and vigour in their last three matches. The equation here is easy: the team that will handle the pressure better will go on to win the tournament.