India and Pakistan to clash in New York on June 9.
India holds a 6-1 advantage in 7 T20 World Cup matches against Pakistan, with their only loss coming in the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai.
While there is usually some excitement surrounding India-Pakistan matches, former India batsman Mohammed Kaif has chosen to downplay the significance of the next clash. According to Kaif, Pakistan has a 'poor' team this time around, with only a few match winners.
"Everyone knows Pakistan's batting is weak. Fakhar Zaman plays a little fast. If he fires, he can probably win the match alone. Iftikhar Ahmad plays fast but other than that, everyone plays at a strike rate of 120 to 125. You are not that scared of their batting but are scared of their bowling," Kaif said on Star Sports.
Kaif, on the other hand, warned India to keep an eye on Pakistan bowler Naseem Shah, who was the standout performer for Pakistan in their previous T20 World Cup match against India.
"They will have Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah. Naseem Shah didn't come to play in the World Cup in India. He was injured, but he is fit here. This will be a bouncy pitch. Naseem Shah is a very good bowler. If you talk about the Melbourne match that Virat Kohli won, if you see Naseem Shah's first spell, he got a nick and the catch was dropped at slip," he added.