Shaheen and Haris are brilliant but India have batters capable of handling them: Robin Uthappa

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has praised the Pakistani bowlers’ performance against Bangladesh on September 6 night. 

The Pakistan pace trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah scalped eight wickets between them against Bangladesh in the first Super 4 clash of the Asia Cup, tying their opponents down to an unimposing 193 before composed half-centuries from Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan saw Pakistan bag a seven-wicket win in the most convincing manner.

Chopra highlighted how “top-class” the Pakistan bowlers were in not letting Bangladesh even cross 200 on a flat Lahore track which seemed ideal for batting. Rauf was the pick of the bowlers with a frugal four-for (4/19 in six overs), while Naseem returned with figures of 3/34 and Shaheen 1/42.

"It was a very flat track and the Pakistani trio Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah bowled incredibly well to pick up wickets there. Their fast bowling is absolutely top-class. They didn’t even let Bangladesh reach a target of 200 in an absolute road like surface,” said Chopra while hosting JioCinema’s daily sports show #AAKASHVANI.

'If they have pace, we have batsmen who can utilize that pace' - Abhishek Nayar ahead of India-Pakistan clash

Former India cricketer Abhishek Nayar also shared his thoughts on the upcoming clash between India and Pakistan in the Super 4 round.

"If they have pace, we have batsmen who can utilize that pace. We have seen how Virat Kohli batted in the World Cup. I don't think anyone has an upper hand; both teams are very good. But we all know that under pressure, India has always performed better, and I expect the same in the near future," Nayar said.

Robin Uthappa also agreed with Nayar. "Well, they do have some quick and skilled bowlers, and Shaheen Shah Afridi has been in amazing form recently. Haris Rauf is also performing well. That being said, I believe we have batters in our team who are capable of handling all of them.”

RP Singh emphasized that it's going to be a clash between the best bowling line-up and the best batting line-up.

"They might have a slight upper hand in their bowling department, and we also have injury concerns. Their three fast bowlers, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem, all bowl around 150 km/h so in terms of bowling, they seem a bit better. We can watch these matches as a showdown between the best bowling line-up and the best batting line-up."

India and Pakistan will face each other in the Super 4 round on September 10 in Colombo after the group stage encounter between the two teams was washed out on September 2 in Pallekele.