Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf has declared himself completely fit for the upcoming World Cup 2023 in India. He is set to take the flight in the next 48 hours for Hyderabad, where Pakistan will play their two warm-up matches.
Babar Azam’s team will start its World Cup campaign on October 6 against the Netherlands before meeting Sri Lanka on October 10. But the most hyped up and much-awaited game of the league phase, for which there is a massive buildup, will be on October 14 between India and Pakistan in Ahmedabad.
Apart from the in-game contests between the Pakistani bowlers and the Indian batters, one significant talking point among the fans has been in recent years about the jovial, friendly, and cordial relationship between the players of the two countries.
Recently in the Asia Cup 2023, Virat Kohli was seen having a big laugh with Shadab Khan, while Shaheen Afridi gave a gift to Jasprit Bumrah on becoming a father. From the fans of both countries, the opinions on these sort of scenes and friendly relations between the Indian and Pakistani players extracted divided opinions. Some felt that this leads to lack of “aggression” on the field, however, that is unlikely to be the case.
Haris Rauf’s shuts journalist about “aggression” between India and Pakistani players
In the press conference on Monday in Lahore, Haris Rauf was asked a question about this relationship between the players of the two countries. The journalist said that in the past the Pakistani fast bowlers used to show aggression to the Indian batters, but that feels lacking in the current rivalry.
Irked by this opinion from the journalist, Haris Rauf snapped back: “Kya ladai krloon Indians ke saath? Cricket hai yeh jang thori hai.”
“Aggression toh hum bhi dikhaate hai bilkul; baaki logon yakeen kare na kare,” he added.
Watch the video here:
https://x.com/_FaridKhan/status/1706273076676096301?s=20
Pakistan will have to deal with the absence of Naseem Shah due to a shoulder injury. Shaheen Afridi and Naseem usually take the new ball. But now, in the absence of Naseem, will Haris Rauf bowl with the new ball?
“I have no specific goal set for the World Cup. More emphasis is on team performance than individual performance,” the fast bowler said.
Pakistan’s first warm-up match is on September 29 against New Zealand in Hyderabad and the second warm-up match is on October 3 against Australia.
