Sanjay Bangar points out strengths & weaknesses of India and Pakistan ahead of T20 World Cup 2022

Team India have reached Australia, where, in a few days, the much-awaited T20 World Cup 2022 will take place. The tournament is set to begin on October 16, while the Men in Blue will start their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 23.

Ahead of the mouth-watering clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of both India and Pakistan teams. Bangar first spoke about the batting department, stating Pakistan are overly dependent on their top order, which features captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan whereas India have more depth in their batting.

“I feel, in the batting department, it’s clear that Pakistan is over-dependent on their top order like Babar and Rizwan. Whereas the Indian team is not actually dependent on a couple of players. There are 4-5 match winners, and they are in their prime form, so, from a batting perspective, I feel the Indian team is in a better position,” said Bangar on Star Sports show ‘Cricket Live’.

Speaking about bowling, Bangar admitted that Pakistan’s biggest strength has always been their fast bowling and a similar case is there in the current team. Bangar observed that while India lack speed due to the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, they are rich in skills. He also suggested that Deepak Chahar should be included as a replacement for Bumrah.

“If you look at the bowling part, obviously, they have the speed, they always had that, but the Indian team has the skill in the sense that if Deepak Chahar is fit in place of Jasprit Bumrah, you can clearly see his ability to swing the ball upfront. Also, Arshdeep Singh is our own version of a left-hander we were searching for. So, he’s somebody who can swing the ball both ways. I feel that the Indian team is lacking in the speed department, but they more than make up with the skill they possess,” added Bangar.