Sourav Ganguly weighs in on India-Pakistan T20 World Cup battle

Former cricketer Sourav Ganguly on Saturday shared his views on the upcoming clash between India and Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2024 on June 9 in New York.

Ganguly highlighted India's impressive historical record against Pakistan, acknowledging the potential threat Pakistan poses in the T20 format.

"Our record against Pakistan has been very, very good over a long period of time. In the T20 format, probably Pakistan is more dangerous compared to 50- overs (format). We beat them in Ahmedabad when they came to India and we beat them easily.

"India is superior and if they play well, if they play freely and I keep saying the word 'freely' all the time because (in) the last World Cup in Australia, I don't think we played freely," he said.

"Just put all the cobwebs behind. Don't worry about winning or losing. Don't think about winning the World Cup. Just go and play every game," he added.

He expressed confidence in India's strong prospects for the T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies, starting on Saturday. According to Ganguly, India's chances are bolstered by their immense talent and the need to embrace a fearless approach to the game.

"India have very good chances in the World Cup. India will have to play like a T20 team. There is enormous talent," he said.

"...play without fear and just keep hitting. There is enormous talent, (this is) a team which has (Virat) Kohli, Rohit (Sharma), Surya (Suryakumar Yadav), (Rishabh) Pant, (Shivam) Dubey, (Hardik) Pandya, (Ravindra) Jadeja, Axar (Patel), (Jasprit) Bumrah, Sanju (Samson)," he said when asked about India's chances.

"That's why I say everyone is capable of winning it for India and the only way they will do it is (if they) just play with freedom.

"Play with that extra batsman and hit from the first ball, hit till you have to defend (and) play like the last ball," he added.

Supporting the idea of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as the opening pair, Ganguly praised Kohli's form in the IPL and emphasized his excellence as a player.

"It is Virat and Rohit, both should open. Virat has been in tremendous touch in the IPL, he is a great player," he said.

He also commented on the drop-in pitches to be used in the USA leg of the World Cup, which have been brought in from Adelaide.

"(The) drop-in pitches are normally very good, very batting friendly. And they don't change much over a period of time because they are different from natural pitches," he said.