Former Pakistani pacer Sikander Bakht has heavily criticized the Indian team for playing all of their matches in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 in the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and not playing any at the Sharjah ground.
His words come ahead of the second meeting between India and Pakistan, this time in the Super 4s stage on September 4. India had earlier defeated the Babar Azam-led side by five wickets in the last Sunday's Group A clash in Dubai.
Ahead of the game, both sides faced significant injury setbacks as India's star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury, while pacer Shahnawaz Dahani will also miss the game for Pakistan.
On Saturday, a host of former India and Pakistani cricketers took part in a television debate as a build-up to the game in Dubai, during which Sikander Bakht made a rather controversial claim about the Indian team.
Bakht asked the Indian panel – which comprised Kapil Dev, Mohammed Azharuddin, and Atul Wassan – if India is “scared” to play in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.
“I just wanted to know, why doesn't India want to play in Sharjah or Abu Dhabi? They only play in Dubai. Are you afraid of playing in Sharjah? The draws had already been out. The schedule had India's match against Pakistan in Sharjah. You guys changed it to Dubai. Are you afraid of going to Sharjah? We have been asked this question by our people, so I thought I would ask the same to you,” Bakht said on Geo Super.
Though Kapil and Azharuddin didn't bother to make a response, Atul Wassan hilariously said that Sharjah had been “bad” for the Indian team in the past.
“That ground has been pretty bad for us. Now, we are in strong favors with the ICC, so we are not playing there,” Wassan said.
India will play all of their three games in the Super 4 in Dubai before the final, which is also scheduled at the same venue.
