Pakistan’s all-rounder Shadab Khan named his favourite Indian cricketer during a press conference in Hyderabad on Sunday.
The leg-spinner named Indian captain Rohit Sharma and spinner Kuldeep Yadav as his favourite Indian batter and bowler, respectively.
“I like Rohit Sharma very much. He is very dangerous once he gets set and it is very difficult to dismiss him,” said Shadab.
“As far as bowler is concerned, I like Kuldeep [Yadav] since I’m a leg-spinner. He is in good form and bowls well despite flat tracks in India,” he added.
Shadab also believes that the team which bowls well will win the mega event.
“In these conditions, it is difficult to stop the flow of runs and take wickets. I think the team that bowls well will win the tournament,” he said.
He also highlighted the importance of staying fit during the tournament.
“World Cup is a long tournament which is why adjusting to the conditions and fitness will be key for all the teams,” he said. “We have already suffered one setback [Naseem Shah] which is why we can’t afford more injuries.”
It must be noted that the Pakistan team landed at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, India, on Wednesday from Dubai to participate in the mega event.
They have also played one warm-up match, which they lost against New Zealand by five wickets on Friday.
The Green Shirts will play Australia on October 3 in their second warm-up match before they begin their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on October 6.
Pakistan squad for ICC World Cup 2023
Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, M Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha.
Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan.
Pakistan's schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023
October 6 — vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
October 10 — vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
October 14 — vs India in Ahmedabad
October 20 — vs Australia in Bengaluru
October 23 — vs Afghanistan in Chennai
October 27 — vs South Africa in Chennai
October 31 — vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
November 4 — vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
November 11 — vs England in Kolkata
The day matches which will start at 10:00am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) while all other matches will be day-night fixtures starting at 01:30pm (PST).
If Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in Kolkata.
If India qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in Mumbai unless playing against Pakistan, in which case they will play in Kolkata.
- Shadab Khan
