Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has backed India as favourites ahead of the upcoming India vs Pakistan clash on Sunday, while acknowledging Pakistan's potential to surprise. India, led by
Suryakumar Yadav, began their campaign with a nine-wicket victory over Hong Kong, while Pakistan are set to face Oman on Friday before their encounter with India.
Latif praised India's well-balanced team composition and impressive performance against the UAE.
"The Indian team is good and the signs were visible in their clash against the UAE. Kuldeep (Yadav), Axar (Patel), Varun, Jasprit, Hardik and Shivam are all good bowlers. They have five batters and five bowlers that make a good combination," Latif told news agency IANS.
"It is a transition period for India and Pakistan. They are without their star players but these players are also big stars. We will see what will happen. India have a very composed team."
Latif highlighted the political tensions between the two nations and its impact on the match.
"There will be a lot of pressure on both teams after the brief war (Operation Sindoor launched by India in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack) between the two countries. The winner of the match will be 'Sikandar'. It would be added pressure on both teams," he said.
The former Pakistan captain commended the strike rates of Indian batters, including Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, and Sanju Samson, while also noting the Indian bowling attack's economy.
"I want Pakistan to win but if analysed based on skill, India are on the top and it is history... The competition is so tight in the Indian team that despite performing exceptionally, players like Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravi Bishnoi and Ishan Kishan are not in the squad. Pakistan don't have that leverage and we've got a problem in shot selection," he explained.
Despite favouring India, Latif expressed optimism about Pakistan's batting lineup.
"Pakistan have picked hard-hitting players in their squad. Sahibzada Farhan, who shows aggression from the first ball, and Mohammad Nawaz will be playing against India for the first time. If we get a batting pitch, Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub can play a good knock and we can make a good score. We can't write off Pakistan as they can do anything on their day," Latif concluded.
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