'I don't think one player can make a difference' - Sourav Ganguly on Shaheen Afridi’s absence in Asia Cup

Even though Shaheen Afridi is injured and has been ruled out of the Asia Cup, he has been the focal point of discussions and debates in the entire build-up of the tournament. Former Pakistan international Waqar Younis previously spoke how all the other teams are lucky with Shaheen out of the tournament but BCCI president Sourav Ganguly took a step forward to counter that and said one single player cannot make a difference.

The Indian fans also pointed out how India will miss the services of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel in the tournament. However, Shaheen’s injury has been the topic of the summer. More so because of his performance against India in the T20 World Cup last year. The 22-year-old knocked KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma and later took the wicket of Virat Kohli to break India’s backbone in their very first match of the tournament. He was later adjudged the Player of the Match after Pakistan handed India a 10-wicket defeat.

Despite such a match-winning performance, Sourav Ganguly isn’t convinced that he can single-handedly win it for Pakistan. The former India captain became the latest member to add a comment on his injury and whether or not it will affect the match. Speaking to India Today, the Prince of Calcutta said, “I don’t think one player can make a difference. It’s teamwork. We also don’t have Jasprit Bumrah”.

No team is a favourite in the T20 format: Ganguly 

India and Pakistan are sweeping all the votes in multiple polls organised by various fan clubs to choose the favourites of this year’s Asia Cup. However, the former India captain refuses to believe there’s any particular team who’s favourite to win the continental cup.  “No team is a favourite in the T20 format. Did anyone think of Gujarat winning the IPL? It’s a different format altogether. You have so little time to recover,” said the former captain when asked about the favourites to lift the Asia Cup.

‘Dada’ also believes that Hardik Pandya’s return can help India in the tournament. The all-rounder didn’t bowl much in the T20 World Cup 2021 but slowly recovered and is now back bowling regularly for the team. Thus, he believes that it is a huge benefit for India in the Asia Cup.

“He’s a huge addition to the side plus his bowling. Last year he was not fit to bowl, now he’s gone back to bowling. So he is a huge addition,” said the BCCI president.