Pakistan Invitation XI captain Ijaz Ahmed (left) discusses a point with Punjab CM’s XI skipper Mohinder Amarnath in Patiala on Thursday. (Reuters)

Patiala: Former Pakistan batsman Ijaz Ahmed said on Thursday that beating the Indian team won’t be easy for Pakistan when Sourav Ganguly’s team visits the neighbouring country for a series of three Test matches and five ODIs.

“Earlier, it was like you bowl out (Sachin) Tendulkar and you had the match under control. But the current Indian team has six-seven Tendulkars and it is a very good team,” Ijaz said.

“If they get some good bowlers India can be a world-class team,” the former star, who was known for his powerful shots, said.

Ijaz, who led a Pakistan Invitational XI against the Punjab Chief Minister’s XI in an exhibition match here, said Pakistanis are eagerly waiting for the Indians to arrive.

“This tour will freshen our past memories. If you tour after 14-odd years, there is more tension and pressure on you, unlike when you play each other more often. If the two sides play more often, things will be normal,” he said.

“The good thing is that Indians are coming and people are waiting with open arms to welcome them. Many matches may be in the Punjabi dominated areas and Punjabis are known to take good care of their guests,” he said.

“Everybody wants to see good cricket,” Ijaz said, dismissing the security issues.

He said India had established themselves well, especially after their tour of Australia, where they proved their mettle.

“They have come fresh from playing against one of the best teams in world cricket.”

“This season, we played against South Africa at home, a depleted New Zealand and minnows Bangladesh... While the Indian team looks in full swing (after excelling Down Under),” he said.

On whether last year’s World Cup match between India and Pakistan was a Shoaib Akhtar-Tendulkar affair, Ijaz said the speedster would again make a difference in the upcoming series, but for the good.

“I feel Shoaib will make a lot of difference. He showed it against New Zealand when we won a Test. He will be the key person this time too.”

Pakistan will rely heavily on their fast bowlers in order to counter the Indian batsmen, who were in great form in Australia. Along with Shoaib, Mohammed Sami will be one of their main bowlers.

Apart from these two, Pakistan have a promising lot of fast bowlers in Umar Gul, Shabbir Ahmed. They have called up two rookie seamers in their preliminary list for the India series. (PTI)