New Delhi: Pakistan pace bowler Haris Rauf is saving on all his knowledge gained from the Big Bash League to outsmart Indian batters in the clash of the T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23.
The arch-rivals, who don’t play any bilateral series due to geo-political tensions, will face each for the fourth time in one year at the MCG.
‘If I give my best, they won’t be able to play me’ – Haris Rauf
Rauf said in the post-match interaction after their six-run win over England, “If I give my best, they won’t be able to play me easily. For the upcoming World Cup match, I’m very happy because it is at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.”
“It is my home ground because I play for the Melbourne Stars, and I have an idea of how the conditions play out there. I’ve already started planning on how I would bowl against India,” he added.
Pakistan took a 3-2 series lead in the seven-match T20I series in Lahore on Wednesday.
Pakistan defeated India by 10 wickets for the first time in a world tournament in the last edition of the T20I World Cup in UAE. But recently in the Asia Cup, India secured a five-wicket win before losing to Pakistan in the ‘Super 4’ stage.
Brilliance of Haris Rauf
The 28-year-old bowled the Indian batsman with short-pitch deliveries as he returned wicketless in their first match of the Asia Cup. But in the Super 4 stage, he took the key wicket of India captain Rohit Sharma.
Rauf ended the Asia Cup with eight wickets from six matches. But in the ongoing series, he’s been at his best, leading the tally with eight wickets from five matches.
“The match between India and Pakistan is always a high-pressure game. In the World Cup last year, I was feeling so much pressure. But in the past two matches in the Asia Cup, I didn’t feel much of it because I knew I just had to give my best,” Rauf concluded.
