Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has commented on the high voltage clash between India and Pakistan which is scheduled to take place in Dubai on October 24. Hayden has termed the match as a ‘real dogfight’ and says that the margin for error will be very little. Hayden added that leadership will play a major role in the clash of titans.
Matthew Hayden is currently working with the Pakistan team as a batting consultant. Hayden also presented the captaincy examples of MS Dhoni and Eoin Morgan who led their respective IPL franchises to the finals of the tournament inspite of struggling with the bat.
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“Their individual performances were not as good as they have previously done as per their statistical records but the way they led their troops and conducted themselves played an important part in their teams reaching the IPL final in UAE conditions,” Hayden said in a media interaction.
“I feel leadership will be key in the coming match as conditions in UAE leave very little margin for error and there are dogfight conditions out there.”
Having followed Indian cricket very closely, Hayden believed that KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant will pose a major threat to Pakistan when they lock horns on Sunday.
“More or less, I have watched KL Rahul grow and he is a major threat to Pakistan. I have watched him grow up as a boy. I have seen his struggles and his dominance in shorter formats.
“I have seen someone like Rishab Pant, his brash nature and beautiful vision for the game, how he has destroyed bowling attacks because he has got the opportunity because he sees it that way,” Hayden added.
Hayden also added that Pakistan skipper Babar Azam will play a key role in the match as a leader and also as a batsman.
“There will be additional pressure on him as captain and batsman because he will be targeted and everyone will be wanting to, like they say, put him in their pocket. Babar has command and presence and he needs to fulfil that role in a batting sense and captain.”
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“There will be additional pressure on him as captain and batsman because he will be targeted and everyone will be wanting to, like they say, put him in their pocket. Babar has command and presence and he needs to fulfil that role in a batting sense and captain.”
Having watched the rivalry between India and Pakistan over the years, Hayden can feel the intensity between the two nations. The bilateral series between the two nations have been suspended due to political reasons. The arch rivals previously met in the 2019 ICC World Cup where India defeated Pakistan and maintained their unbeaten records in World Cups. Hayden also added that nothing can match the rivalry between India and Pakistan.
“For an Australian obviously the Ashes and matches against England are tops but nothing matches the rivalry of these two teams.”
Hayden termed Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Rizwan as the key players for Pakistan in the upcoming tournament. When asked about his short-term role as a batting consultant in the Pakistan team, he said that bringing calmness and control and telling the players to be in the game in pressure situations like the World Cup is very crucial.
“I have learned for whatever reason you are always under pressure, you don’t need to create additional pressure to what the game demands.”
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