Former Indian cricketers shower praise on Pakistan players

Former Indian cricketer and analyst, Aakash Chopra, has showered praise on Pakistan cricketer, Mohammad Rizwan, for his exceptional batting during the recently-concluded Super 4 round opener match against Bangladesh in Lahore on Wednesday. 

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra described Rizwan as a true warrior who thrives under pressure.

“Mohammad Rizwan – I like this player a lot. He is a warrior and he keeps fighting. The more pressure you put on him, the more he flourishes. Whether you play him in T20Is, ODIs, or Tests, somehow whenever Pakistan are struggling, it brings the best out of him,” Chopra said.

“Here also he stayed till the end and won them the match. He played very good sweeps and danced down the wicket to hit over cover. He plays spin extremely well and he has a very good pick-up shot against fast bowling. So Mohammad Rizwan is actually a very, very good player,” he added.

Former Indian cricketer, Sanjay Bangar, also showered accolades on Pakistan’s opening batter, Imam ul Haq, praising his remarkable consistency and composure during Pakistan’s match against Bangladesh.

“He has been extremely consistent in the Pakistan team’s batting because he has scored a series of centuries in the last year or two. It wasn’t an easy knock for him because Bangladesh’s bowlers tested him properly,” Bangar said on Star Sports.

“Whether it was Taskin Ahmed or Shoriful Islam, the lines they were bowling against him, he didn’t get any easy runs. He stuck to his strength, which is to attack the short balls, whether it is against the seamers or the spinners. He scored a lot of runs with that shot,” he added.

“He played to his strengths and waited for the right balls. Luck also favored him slightly because the DRS calls went in his favor but once he got his eye in, he attacked spin very well,” he concluded.

Another former Indian cricketer, Deep Dasgupta, praised Haris Rauf’s outstanding performance in Lahore, emphasizing the significance of having an express fast bowler in the team.

Dasgupta spoke about the trio of Shahen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf, and he believes that Haris stands out as the best among them due to his ability to take wickets consistently throughout the innings.

“We do talk a lot about Shahen Afridi and of course Naseem Shah. But Haris Rauf, to me, is the best among the 3 because he can take wickets at every stage of the match,” Dasgupta said.

“You give him the new ball, he will pick wickets, you get him in the middle-overs, he will deliver. You get him at the death, he will pick wickets. So for me, he is the key there. You just throw the ball to him and he will get you wickets,” he concluded.