Rashid Latif said that India has a player such as Hardik Pandya who can change the course of the game at any point in the match. The 56-year-old also gave special mentions to other players for bringing balance to the team
Rashid Latif (Pic: X/@ICC)
Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif believes the reason behind his side's frequent losses to the Men in Blue is their inability to take games deep, ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 match against Team India.
"We get emotional or hyper and try to do everything in one go. We don’t take the game deep against India, and because of this, Pakistan loses most of the time," said Latif.
"India, on the other hand, plays according to the pitch and match situation and that’s why they succeed," he added.
Latif also highlighted the impact of Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, calling him a game-changer.
"Hardik Pandya is a dangerous player. The players in the middle or lower order can change the game. Pandya has done it not just once, but many times — which is amazing. That’s why he’s called the X-factor. He can change the game completely," he said.
The 56-year-old also praised other Indian players for bringing balance to the team.
"Players like Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Suryakumar Yadav bring balance. Bumrah, in bowling, is a huge asset. Overall, it’s a very good team," said the veteran of 166 ODI matches.
On India's bowling strength in the shorter format, he added:
"As far as bowling is concerned, the accuracy is better. In T20Is, the nerves and skills of Indian players work better during crunch moments."
The high-voltage clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is scheduled to take place on September 14 at the Dubai International Stadium. Before taking on the arch-rivals, Pakistan will open their campaign against Oman on September 12. They will then conclude their group stage matches with a clash against the UAE. So far, in the Asia Cup, India and Pakistan have faced each other on 19 occasions, with the Indians having the upper hand with 10 victories. Three matches between teams ended in a no result.
India's squad for the Asia Cup 2025: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
Pakistan's Squad for the Asia Cup 2025: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufyan Moqim.
(With PTI inputs)
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