India more balanced side but Pakistan can play very good cricket: Ricky Ponting

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India]: Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has said that India will start as favourites in the Ahmedabad World Cup match but Pakistan too can be formidable.

Speaking in the ICC podcast, Ricky Ponting also said that cricket fans don’t get to see many India-Pakistan clashes and would like to see more.

He said while India are a more balanced side, Pakistan has a strong bowling attack with bowlers like Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan.

“India versus Pakistan is probably, as we know, one of the great rivalries in world sport and to be honest, as a cricket fan, we probably don’t get to see it enough. I think we’d like to see India and Pakistan play more. They have just recently done it, obviously, with the Asia Cup,” Ponting said.

“I think they (India) will start as the favourite in the game. You know home conditions, probably a slightly better balanced side than what Pakistan have got at the moment. But, you know, as we know on their day, Pakistan can play some very good cricket…with Afridi and Shadab Khan and those guys, they are a very dangerous team.

“Over the last couple of years, they have probably been one of the best performing white balls teams in the world,” Ponting said.

India and Pakistan both won their first two matches before the Ahmedabad game.
India are in third and Pakistan fourth place in the ODI World Cup 2023 points table.