‘Ye pata toh World Cup me hi lagega’ – Fans react as Ravi Shastri calls current Team India strongest since 2011 ahead of Pakistan clash in Asia Cup 2023

The stage is getting ready for the epic clash between India and Pakistan on 2 September 2023 in the ongoing Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. The Men in Green are currently the number one-tanked team in ODIs and they won their first game against Nepal convincingly. So, a tough fight might await Rohit Sharma and his men.

This tournament might be the perfect platform for the Men in Blue to get prepared for the upcoming ODI World Cup. The tournament will begin in October in India and they will look to win the trophy again after winning it in 2011 last time. Now, on the eve of Pakistan’s clash in the Asia Cup, the former Team India coach, Ravi Shastri claimed that this current team India are strongest since the team they had in 2011. 

“Those are the guys who will come through in those big occasions” – Ravi Shastri

While speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Shastri said: “I would say India start as favourites. This is their strongest team since 2011, this mix of players. And a captain who is seasoned, who understands the terrain better than most. Having said that, Pakistan have narrowed the gap. Seven-eight years [ago], there was a gap if you looked at the strength of both teams and man to man. But Pakistan have narrowed it down. They are a very good side, so you have to be on top of your game.”

“When you look at the mix of players on either side, they are fabulous. And it will be a spectacle. In an India-Pakistan game, it is about who handles pressure better, who is calmer, whose thought process is clear. Those are the guys who will come through in those big occasions,” he further added.

“And never go by form before an India-Pakistan game, because the tough-minded, mentally strong guys might not have done much six months back, but come the India-Pakistan game, they will come [to the fore]. They know the importance of that game, they know where it can catapult them if they do well. Their juices will be fired up,” Ravi Shastri concluded. 

Here is how fans have reacted:

https://twitter.com/MrNarutoHokage/status/1697545521991135546