Skip to main content

Shami key to India's Champions Trophy prospects: Irfan Pathan

New Delhi: As the high-octane ICC Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan draws closer, veteran India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has picked India as the favourites besides counting pacer Mohammed Shami as the key to the prospects of the men-in-blue in the June 1-18 tournament in England and Wales.

Champions Trophy 2017 | CT 2017 - Complete Schedule

Irfan, who was part of the victorious India side which lifted the Champions Trophy in 2013, said the mantra of success in English conditions is to hit the seam well, which he felt the in-form Indian pacers, led by Mohammed Shami, are capable of.

"What's important in England is to hit the seam well. If you can keep bowling in the right areas and hit the seam, I think that's the best way to go for the bowlers," the 32-year-old told IANS.

"With the kind of form our frontline pacers -- Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav -- are in at the moment, I am sure India can do really well in the Champions Trophy. With the amount of experience they have in the home season and the Indian Premier League (IPL), I think they are up for the challenge in England."

Irfan, who was India's frontline pacer with his swing bowling in the 2004 tour of Pakistan, said he was impressed by the young duo of Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah in One-day Internationals besides hailing Shami for having one of the best seam positions in world cricket.

"I am really impressed with Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah's bowling in international cricket, especially in one-dayers... as well as, for that matter, Shami and Umesh."

"Shami has been the bowler who can deliver with both the old and the new ball. He has got the most beautiful seam position I have ever seen in international cricket. He will be key to India's success in the Champions Trophy," he said.

Asked if head-to-head records count during high-tension encounters, such as those against Pakistan, the Baroda all-rounder said: "Such advantages or disadvantages get an edge only to a certain extent. But it all boils down to how you tackle the situation during the match."

"Even during the 2013 Champions Trophy, the Indian team was a far better side and this time around, too, we have a complete team which is much better than the Pakistanis at the moment.

"I am pretty confident that India will go in as the favourites and come out with flying colours," he added.

India are placed in Group B along with Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka, and will start their campaign on June 4 against their arch-rivals at Edgbaston.

The last time India and Pakistan were engaged in a 50-over game was during the ICC World Cup in 2015. They, however, faced off in the shortest version of the game during last year's ICC World T20 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. India won both matches.

India will play their next two matches at The Oval, against the Lankans on June 8 and then South Africa on June 11.

Group A comprises New Zealand, Australia, England and Bangladesh. The top two sides of each group will proceed to the semi-finals.

Stay updated on the go with Sify Live Scores App. Click here to download it for your device



via Sify.com http://ift.tt/2qAJbxE
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Virat Kohli and co. leave for West Indies

The Virat Kohli led Indian team left for the West Indies for the four-Test series starting July 21st. The team was accompanied by its newly appointed head coach Anil Kumble and other support staff. The 16-member squad will play a tour game against the West Indies Cricket Board President's XI at Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts on July 9 and 10. The journey begins. #TeamIndia leaves for the tour of West Indies. #WIvIND http://pic.twitter.com/ebK1jkoFiN -BCCI (@BCCI) July 5, 2016 That will be followed by a three-day warm-up fixture at the same venue from July 14 to 16. The first Test match will be held at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua from July 21 to 25. The other three Test matches will be held at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica (Jul 30-Aug 3), Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia (Aug 9-13) and Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad (Aug 18-22). When India last toured West Indies in 2011, the visitors won the series 1-0....
Post a Comment
Read more

India withdraw Smith protest as boards make peace in DRS row

India have withdrawn an official protest about the actions of Australia captain Steve Smith in the second test as the governing bodies of both countries moved to bring an end to the acrimony surrounding the ongoing four-match series. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had earlier registered a complaint to the International Cricket Council (ICC) over Smith looking to the dressing room for guidance on whether to review an lbw decision during the Bengaluru match. Despite the hosts winning the test to level the series at 1-1 on Tuesday, India skipper Virat Kohli alleged the tourists had indulged in the practice throughout the match, sparking a war of words in the media and a robust response from Australia. The boards released a joint statement on Friday saying the chief executives of both bodies had met in Mumbai on Thursday and agreed to try and bring the focus "back to the game" ahead of next week's third test in Ranchi. "India has always cherished a c...
Post a Comment
Read more

AB de Villiers becomes top ranked batsman in ODIs

Dubai: South Africa's star batsman AB de Villiers on Friday regained the top spot in the ICC player rankings for One-Day International batsmen after leading the list of run-scorers in the recent series against New Zealand. De Villiers's 262 runs in the series, including a highest of 85 in the third ODI at Wellington, have helped him overtake Australia opener David Warner at the top of the ladder, reclaiming the top spot within two months of losing it to India captain Virat Kohli, according to the International Cricket Council's (ICC) statement. The 33-year-old batsman is on 875 points, four points ahead of Warner and 23 clear of Kohli. Among other batsmen, England's Joe Root and Alex Hales are major gainers as they have reached career-best rankings. Root has reached fourth spot after scoring 195 runs including 101 in the final match in Bridgetown against West Indies while Hales, who knocked up 110 in the same match, his fifth century in the last 20 ODIs, has gained...
Post a Comment
Read more