Ahead of Sunday's blockbuster ICC T20 World Cup match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan, Shahid Afridi has picked the Virat Kohli-led 'Men in Blue' as the favourites.
"India will have the upper hand in this match, Team India has big leverage. The Indian team is adept at handling pressure. Team India has been playing well for the last 10-15 years. In this match, whichever team plays with a good mindset and body language, it will win," Afridi told Sama TV.
The Super 12, Group 2 clash tonight in Dubai will be the sixth meeting between the two teams. And India will start as the obvious favourites. They have won all their five matches against Pakistan in T20 World Cups since 2007 - all of them under the leadership of MS Dhoni.
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Pakistan will need to play out of their skins to beat India even though they are only five rating points behind India (2nd) in the ICC T20I rankings.
"Pakistan will have to give their 100% to defeat Team India. Only after overcoming the pressure can Pakistan register a victory over India. Pakistan should enjoy cricket to the fullest irrespective of the results and give their 100%," the former Pakistan captain said.
In their last meeting, in the 2016 World Cup at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India cruised to six wickets victory. But interestingly, one of India's wins came in a bowl out after the match ended in a tie in the inaugural 2007 World T20.
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The India vs Pakistan match will start at 7:30 PM IST and we telecast live on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada.
