Harbhajan Singh, former spin bowler, has expressed his concerns regarding the Indian team against Fakhar Zaman in the forthcoming game against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy. India and Pakistan will become neighbors to their long-standing match-up in Dubai on February 23. Ahead of the eagerly awaited encounter, Harbhajan cautioned the Rohit Sharma-led side against the experience of Fakhar to take the game away from India. “Fakhar has that experience, and he can take the game away from India,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
More than 234 runs at a stunning strike rate of 82.39 in six-one games for India make him one of the most explosive cricketers against the Men in Blue within ODIs.
In the Champions Trophy, the last skirmish concluded at The Oval in 2017, when India and Pakistan clashed in the finals. Fakhar proved the nail in the coffin during a tense, tight match.
Fakhar stood tall on a docile surface, making a quickfire 114 off just 106 balls and bringing Pakistan to a towering score of 338 for 4. In reply, the home team made a mockery of their batting line-up, eventually bowing low at a 180-run loss.
Pakistan, the defending champions, still maintains an edge over India in the Champs, having won three out of five matches within the tournament itself.
In the lead-up to the Champs trophy, the most recent high is that of going high into the tions of attack, inform; prior to this, the Rohit Sharma-led side wiped the ODI series against England 3-0.
Pakistan, on the other hand, had begun struggling through the discords of their form, consistency, and rhythm and had ended up losing the ODI Tri-nation series against South Africa and New Zealand within their own home territory.
The first match between the Kiwis and the hosts was a complete washout for the latter, but they regained their form in Karachi while chasing down a mammoth record 353-run target against South Africa.
New Zealand thrashed the Men in Green without any trouble to assert dominance and head into the tournament opener against Pakistan on Wednesday. India will start their campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday before they meet Pakistan in a high-profile clash.