Wahab Riaz wants Pakistan to win their first World Cup game against India

He was one of the heroes in Pakistan’s futile campaign in the 2015 World Cup in Australia. Left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz though is not in his side’s scheme of things in ODIs but the 33-year-old cricketer, like each supporter of the Men in Green, is hoping Pakistan eventually succeed in beating arch-rivals India at the World Cup, something they have not done ever.

India will take on Pakistan at Manchester on June 16 in the 2019 edition of the tournament and already the fans are glued to the high-voltage clash. Riaz, who bowled like a lionheart in the quarter-final of the 2015 World Cup quarter-finals against Australia in Adelaide but could not bring a victory for his side, said how the Pakistanis need to approach the game against India as one not only against Kohli but against an entire team. India thumped Pakistan twice in the Asia Cup recently and there was no Kohli in it.

“Pakistan will have a plan against Virat for sure, but if they play against India in the World Cup then they would not only plan against Virat but they will have to think about the whole team. It’s not just about Kohli in the Indian team,” Riaz, who played his last ODI in the Champions Trophy last year against India, told India Today.

Pak can repeat 2017 Champions Trophy feat

Riaz expressed confidence that Pakistan could repeat their feat in the 2017 Champions Trophy which they won by defeating India in the final in the upcoming World Cup. “We can definitely repeat the 2017 Champions Trophy-winning performance in the World Cup next year. For that, we have to put in a lot of hard work. We have to play our best game. ODI cricket is more of a momentum game. We have a good side and we can do really good in England,” he said.

While India won their first World Cup in England in 1983, Pakistan came close to winning the coveted trophy on English soil in 1999 but lost to Australia in the final. Against India, however, Pakistan have lost all their World Cup encounters (six) since 1992, the year Imran Khan’s men won the trophy. Wahab Riaz wants Pakistan to win their first WC game over India and asks them to plan for the whole team

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