Before the much-awaited India-Pakistan showdown in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan’s bowling coach Aqib Javed was confident that his team is not intimidated by India’s spin-dominated bowling attack. The two teams will clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, February 23, in what is shaping up to be a thrilling contest.
India’s Spin Attack A Major Threat
India’s choice of including three spinners in their opening match against Bangladesh proved fruitful, with Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav bringing constant pressure. Patel’s bowling, in fact, tore the Bangladesh middle order apart, while the combination of Jadeja and Yadav maintained the pressure at the other end. With this robust spin unit, it is on the cards that India’s spinners will test Pakistan’s batsmen, given that the pitch in Dubai provides assistance to spinners playing under lights.
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“Other teams have too many spinners and we have lesser spin options. The teams play their game on their own strength. We have like a specialist three, I would say one of the best pace bowling options in today’s game with Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris. It reminds me of the 90’s. India has a plan to play 3-4 spinners. That is their plan. We have to play our cricket on our own strength. Our team will not see any major changes,” said Javed in the pre-match press conference.
Pakistan’s Strategy: Powerful Pace Attack
In spite of India’s spin advantage, Aqib Javed is of the opinion that Pakistan will not be disadvantaged. The strength of the team and the secret weapon that will work against India is Pakistan’s powerful pace attack. Pakistan’s bowling attack will bank on the pace bowlers to tackle India’s batting order, with the team having only one specialist spinner in Abrar Ahmed, aided by part-timers Khushdil Shah, Salma Agha, and Kamran Ghulam.
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Pakistan’s Spin Problem
“If you look at Pakistan, we are playing very little spin. You have one specialist spinner and two all-rounders. One is a left-armer, Khushdil, and the other is Agha Salman, who bowls off-spin. So, you have to keep a balance, like 20 overs, 25 overs, pace, and bounce. It’s not possible to have five spinners here. And you won’t see any pitches where you feel that the ball is turning too much, and there’s a lot for spinners and there’s nothing for fast bowlers,” he added.
The absence of a powerful spin attack is a problem for Pakistan. Abrar Ahmed was the sole specialist spinner in their first match against New Zealand but conceded 1/47 from ten overs with no support from the rest of the bowlers. Tom Latham and Will Young dominated with a powerful 128-run partnership, leaving Pakistan with something to learn. As they head to India, the Men in Green need to solve their spin bowling issues if they are to stand any chance in the tournament.
