India and Pakistan are slated to square off in the Asia Cup 2025 group-stage fixture at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (September 14).
The match will be played in the backdrop of heightened tensions between the two nations following the Pahalgam terror attack and the retaliatory Operation Sindoor.
While the Suryakumar Yadav-led side will enter the game on the back of a thumping nine-wicket win over UAE, the Men in Green will also be high on confidence following an emphatic 93-run victory against Oman in their campaign opener.
Ahead of the high-octane clash, former cricketer Kris Srikkanth called Pakistan a "below average side with bat and ball" before claiming that they will be no match to India in the continental tournament.
According to Srikkanth, Oman is a "team full of uncles" and Pakistan's real test will come against the defending Asian champions.
"Pakistan is a below average side with bat and ball. Even Shaheen Afridi isn't anything deadly. Yes they beat an Oman side full of players above 34-35. That team is full of uncles. So beating them shows nothing. At my age, even I can captain Oman now. Even their bowling looked good against the Oman uncles. But we have to see how it is against Indian youngsters," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
"Mohammad Haris scored yesterday but his hitting range is limited to only square leg and mid-wicket. Against Varun Chakaravarthy's bowling, he'll hit a six and then sky one to get out. Likewise, Fakhar Zaman will be done in by Kuldeep Yadav. The Indian batting lineup in comparison is in a different league. Guys like Shubman Gill are at a different level. There is no comparison between the sides when it comes to batting," he added.
Srikkanth was also not pleased with Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson claiming that Mohammad Nawaz is the best spinner in the world. He mentioned that teams have generally underachieved with Hesson at the helm and even blamed him for how Saim Ayub got out against Oman.
"He keeps making bold statements. Whatever team he has coached has never done well. He coached RCB and they won nothing at that time. How are Pakistan going to do well under his coaching? He would have just asked them to throw their bats at the ball with courage. Yesterday the way Saim Ayub got out, I knew it was Mike Hesson's influence. Mike Hesson must have batted like that only," Srikkanth remarked.
