IND vs PAK Asia Cup: India-Pakistan clash in Asia Cup, Ricky Ponting told who will win the ‘war’

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes that India have a better lineup than other teams and are the favorites to win the Asia Cup 2022. He also said that the Rohit Sharma-led side would love to beat arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening match of the tournament. The rivalry between India and Pakistan is one of the biggest rivalries in cricket and all eyes will be on Dubai on August 28, when both the teams face off.

Pakistan is leading in one-on-one encounters. It is a different story in the Asia Cup in which India are currently leading 7-5 in 13 matches. While Ponting expects a tough fight between the rivals, he believes India’s chances of winning are high. Ponting said, ‘I will go with India to win against Pakistan (August 28 match). India is a better team than Pakistan. They have good players.

The Australian legend also pointed out that India are tough opponents to beat in any tournament, not just an Asia Cup. Ponting said, “It is always difficult to go ahead of India in any tournament, not just the Asia Cup, but I think every time we talk about the T20 World Cup, I think India Always ahead.

The 47-year-old former cricketer has watched India T20 stars during his time in IPL coaching and kept an eye on how they are preparing ahead of the T520 World Cup. Despite heavy rotation of players by Rahul Dravid and the selection panel, India have won 17 of their 21 T20 matches this calendar year.

Despite the changes, one absent fast bowler is Mohammed Shami, who has not played for India in T20 cricket since the last T20 World Cup. The veteran pacer has also been dropped from the Asia Cup squad for making an impact in Australia. While accepting the shortest format, Shami has the weakest format. Ponting insisted that if he had picked the 31-year-old bowler in the team, he would have definitely done a good job.

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