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Calcutta: Lalchand Rajput believes Shoaib Akhtar will hold the key to Pakistan’s success in the series against India.
“Shoaib is a matchwinner… He can turn the tables in one spell. He will be the key for Pakistan,” the cricket manager told The Telegraph on Friday.
He, however, believes that whoever keeps cool will prevail in crunch situations. “It will boil down to a battle of nerves. Whoever keeps his cool and handles the pressure better will come out winners,” Rajput said.
Will the pressure of playing at home tell on India? “We’ve just played against Australia. The players are experienced. So home pressure will not be a factor. Rather it will work to our advantage.”
India may have lost their last one-day series to Australia 2-4, but Rajput wants to focus on the positives.
He feels the team’s last two wins — one in the last ODI against Australia in Mumbai and the one-off Twenty20 victory — have been a big boost. “This definitely is a positive factor for us. Win against the world champions always matter a lot,” Rajput told the media.
The Team India is in the city for a two-day conditioning camp before taking on Pakistan in the first ODI in Guwahati on Tuesday. Rajput feels an India-Pakistan series always brings out the best in the players. “The intensity level is always on a high. Players will be keen and eager to prove themselves.”
Asked whether former skipper Rahul Dravid’s experience will be missed, Rajput said: “We’ll select the best possible XI from whatever XV we have. We want to focus on the job at hand.”
Pakistan are without seamer Mohammed Asif and the cricket manager does not think that to be an advantage.
“We’re just interested in playing good cricket… It does not matter whether the team has Asif, Inzamam or not,” Rajput added.
Asked if Pakistan will be looking for revenge after their loss in the ICC World Twenty20, Rajput said: “This is not Twenty20 but 50-50 cricket. That match will have no bearing on the series. For us, this is just another series. And India-Pakistan is always a high-profile one.”
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