Bold Claim of a Former Pakistan Cricketer About the Middle Order of Their Team
Former player of Pakistan cricket team Basit Ali feels that the Babar Azam-led side has a better and more settled middle order than India heading into the Asia Cup and the World Cup 2023. He said that India could face issues in the middle order, something that has been very evident in their performances of late. India head into the Asia Cup with both Shryeas Iyer and KL Rahul still undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy, and the absence of Rishabh Pant has also created a huge void in the middle order of team India.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Basit said that "we have Babar, Fakhar, Imam, and Rizwan at the top, Iftikhar and Salman Ali in the middle, and Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz can be a bit handy down the order. In comparison, we have a better middle order than India. If Ishan Kishan plays at No. 5, fingers are crossed. No idea how he will perform there. India could also play Tilak Varma at No. 3 and bring Kohli at No. 4."
He further added that "India will face problems at no. 4, 5, and 6. They have three top-class batters in Rohit, Virat, and Gill at the top. India will depend on their top three. If they perform, it will be difficult to beat India at the World Cup and the Asia Cup."