India vs Pakistan LIVE: Kapil Dev rates Shaheen Shah Afridi higher than Mohammad Shami ahead of MEGA IND vs PAK clash

India vs Pakistan LIVE: Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Shami will play a key role for their respective teams on Sunday in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Both players are returning to their respective sides after a long period. India vs Pakistan on Sunday (October 23) will be the first game for both pacers after months of absence on the field to showcase their skills. Shaheen Shah Afridi was recovering from a knee injury that sidelined him for three months. While Shami got into the India squad only after Jasprit Bumrah got injured. Considering all these factors ahead of the blockbuster India vs Pakistan clash, India World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has stated that Shaheen Shah Afridi holds the edge in comparison to Shami. Follow T20 World Cup live updates on Insidesport.IN

India vs Pakistan LIVE: Kapil Dev rates Shaheen Shah Afridi higher than Mohammad Shami ahead of MEGA ICC T20 World Cup clash, says ‘No comparison between both’

Also Read: IND PAK Match TICKETS: ICC and organizers set to REFUND spectators, if IND vs PAK gets curtailed below 10 overs (insidesport.in)

Pakistan’s talismanic pacer Shaheen is looking dangerous leading up to the mega clash on Sunday. Against Afghanistan in a warm-up match, the left-arm pacer was at his lethal best and was clocking 145kmph. His trademark in swing, yorker, and pace all were visible. After the knee injury, Shaheen seems to be even fitter and leaner. These are certain danger signs for India, who have a history of being in trouble while facing left-hand bowlers in the ICC events.

Shami last represented India during the tour of England. In last year’s World Cup, he played his last T20I. There is sufficient evidence to conclude that the seasoned right-arm seamer wasn’t even considered for the marquee T20I tournament up until the most recent Asia Cup 2022, but Bumrah’s injury changed everything.

Mohammad Shami however stole the show vs Australia in a warm-up game, albeit bowling just 1 over after returning to the T20s for the first time since IPL 2022 final. He successfully defended 11 off the final over. The veteran finished his solitary over with 3/4, nailing three perfect yorkers to derail what certainly seemed like an Australia win.

The @T20WorldCup meetup: Stars catch up on the sidelines 🤩#WeHaveWeWill | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/J1oKwCDII2

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 17, 2022

India vs Pakistan LIVE: Kapil Dev rates Shaheen Shah Afridi higher than Mohammad Shami ahead of MEGA ICC T20 World Cup clash, says ‘No comparison between both’

But India legend Kapil Dev still thinks that Shaheen Shah Afridi holds the edge against Mohammad Shami.

“You can’t judge anything by just one over. Afridi was spot on when talked about looking at the performances of the last two years where Shaheen has been very good. Whenever he has got an opportunity, he has made an impact. I wouldn’t even like to compare (Shami and Shaheen). Shami hasn’t played a lot of cricket of late. I would have perhaps compared Bumrah with Afridi if he was there but can’t compare Shami and Afridi because there is a lot of difference,” Kapil said in a joint broadcast of Samaa TV and ABP News.

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi was more reserved in his assessment. “If you look at the last few years, Shaheen’s performances have been outstanding. He has used the new ball brilliantly. As a bowler you always try to pick wickets in the first six overs to give your team a good start. Shami too has had some very good spells with the new-ball. Both Shami and Shaheen know how to bowl with the new ball. It’s a big match coming up and we’ll get to know who bowls better,” he said.

India T20 WC Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh. Standby Players: Mohammad Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur

Pakistan T20 WC Squad: Haider Ali, Shan Masood, Shadab Khan (vc), Mohammad Nawaz, Khushdil Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam (C).