Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022, Pakistan and India are currently playing a home T20I series against England and Australia, respectively.
The Asian heavyweights suffered defeats in the series opener on Tuesday (September 20). While Pakistan lost to England by six wickets, India faced a four-wicket defeat at the hands of Australia.
After the game, former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria weighed in on the losses, saying both India and Pakistan need to pull up their socks.
"We are on the road to the World Cup. The kind of performance that we were expecting from the two teams - India and Pakistan - after the Asia Cup is nowhere to be seen. One lost to England and the other lost to Australia. What are the two Asian powerhouses up to? Time is very short and you need to gear up," he said on his YouTube channel.
Kaneria also shared his views on the new jerseys of both teams. He compared Pakistan’s jersey with watermelon and muskmelon, before adding that the Indian should wear dark blue instead of light colour.
"First, I have to talk about the kit of Pakistan. It seems like watermelon...there is a game called 'fruit ninja', there you cut fruits...it seems they have mixed muskmelon and watermelon and made the shirts. It should be proper green, dark green. Aisa matlab ki fruit ki dukaan pe khade hai (It seems we are standing in a fruit shop). The Indian team's jersey is also light colour, it should be dark coloured. It brings a vibe. In dull colours, you look dull. Like how dull Indian team looked in their bowling," he said.
While Pakistan can afford a few slip-ups given that they are playing a seven-match T20I series against England, the Men in Blue faced a must-win situation to stay alive in the three-match series.
The second T20I between Pakistan and England will be held in Karachi on Thursday (September 22). On the other hand, the Rohit Sharma-led Indian side will take on Australia in the second T20I on Friday (September 23).
(With NDTV inputs)