Sanjay Manjrekar believes Pakistan’s spin-heavy bowling attack may trouble India

DUBAI: Former Indian cricketer and renowned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar opined that Pakistan’s spin-laden bowling attack may trouble Indian batters during their ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 blockbuster clash, scheduled to be played in Dubai on Sunday.

The Green Shirts, traditionally known for boasting world-class fast bowlers, altered their strategy for the ongoing tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and switched to a spin-led bowling attack to capitalise on the conditions. The move has thus far favoured Pakistan as they registered two back-to-back thumping victories – against Afghanistan in the recently held T20I tri-series final and their Asia Cup 2025 campaign opener against Oman.

Analysing Pakistan’s recent performances, Manjrekar shared that their spin-bowling attack may come in handy against a strong Indian batting lineup, which made the light work of a modest 58-run target against UAE in their opening match as they chased down the total in just 4.3 overs. “I like this bowling combination because it’s India vs Pakistan, and I feel this attack might give the Indian batters something different to think about,” Manjrekar said.

The renowned commentator drew parallels between Pakistan’s current bowling attack and their previous ones with which they faced arch-rivals India before jokingly saying that legendary pacer Wasim Akram would hate it as there is ‘hardly any pace on show’.

“They’ve played Pakistan in world events before, but usually against a certain kind of attack. This is completely different — hardly any pace on show — and maybe Wasim [Akram] would hate it,” Manjrekar continued. The 60-year-old, however, highlighted the need for improvement in Pakistan’s batting department but credited their white-ball head coach Mike Hesson for utilising the resources, especially Saim Ayub’s bowling abilities. “Batting will need a little improvement against India, but credit to Mike Hesson for making the most of the resources he has. Saim Ayub has hardly bowled for Pakistan in the past, but under Hesson, he’s bowled in almost 90% of the innings,” the former Indian wicketkeeper batter stated.

“This shows a new approach, and that’s exciting because it’s refreshing to see Pakistan try something different,” he added. “Can you imagine the first six or eight overs? Just two overs of pace, and the rest were all spin. Incredible,” he concluded. Web Desk