“He is a very good bowler but that doesn’t mean you can’t play him” - Sourav Ganguly on Shaheen Afridi threat for India 

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has asserted that while Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi is a very good bowler, he is not unplayable. He added that at the international level, batters are bound to encounter such high-quality bowlers and prepare accordingly.

Shaheen was the Player of the Match for his three-wicket haul as Pakistan hammered India by 10 wickets in the 2021 T20 World Cup match in Dubai. The left-arm seamer claimed the big wickets of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli as India were held to 151/7.

The 23-year-old, who was carrying a niggle, however, went wicketless when the arch-rivals met in Melbourne during the T20 World Cup last year. In an interview on Revsportz’s show Backstage with Boria, Ganguly opened up on the threat that Shaheen could pose when India and Pakistan meet in the Asia Cup and the World Cup.

“He is a very good bowler but that doesn’t mean you can’t play him. At this level in international cricket you will get two such bowlers in every team. Afridi and Naseem Shah for Pakistan, [Mitchell] Starc, [Pat] Cummins and [Josh] Hazlewood for Australia, New Zealand has a couple. But India have the batsmen to play them,” he said.

Shaheen is currently one of the leading pacers in world cricket. He has played 27 Tests, 40 ODIs, and 52 T20Is, claiming 105, 78, and 64 wickets, respectively.

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“Don’t chop and change” - Ganguly’s advice for Team India heading into World Cup

India and Pakistan have featured in some memorable contests over the years. One of them was during the 2003 ODI World Cup when the Men in Blue beat their arch-rivals by six wickets in Centurion. Asked about the iconic win, Ganguly commented that it was a result of having a well-settled unit for nearly a year.

Warning the current Team India squad against over-experimentation, the 51-year-old explained:

“We were a very good team by then and had started winning. We were on song. We had some fantastic players. That’s why I keep saying don’t chop and change ahead of a major tournament. Have a set of players together for one year and let them win or lose and get ready as a team. Australia did not chop and change for years between 1999-2003 and that’s why they were so good.”

India were set to chase 274 in the 2003 World Cup clash in Centurion. Sachin Tendulkar led the response with 98 off 75 balls as the Men in Blue cruised to victory in 45.4 overs.