Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden has warned Indian cricket team ahead of the clash against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023 on Saturday in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Hayden also mentioned Indian skipper Rohit Sharma’s dismissal against Shaheen Afridi during the 2021 World Cup.
"You've got to be conservative against Shaheen Afridi. Remember back to the [T20] World Cup [in the UAE in 2021] more recently. Shaheen was able to take early wickets," Hayden told Star Sports.
"We'll never forget that ball that he bowled to Rohit Sharma, so a little bit of caution against Shaheen Afridi. If it's swinging, look to play out those first three overs,” he added.
The former Australian opener also lauded Pakistan’s other pacers in the shape of Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf.
"India is playing against Pakistan's pace trio. This is one of the spiciest competitions on the planet. We've got Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem [Shah]. Three very different types of bowlers and unique bowlers, which require unique plans from Team India,” he said.
"Firstly, the conditions here in Kandy tend to have quite a lot of bounce, so you've got to watch that out, especially Haris Rauf. He'll want to really hustle in and hit the top of off stump.
"And I think with Naseem, even though he will shape the ball, Pakistan can be in a position to advance forward with India managing to take them out of play by aggressive plays against someone like Naseem.”
Pakistan began their Asia Cup 2023 campaign on a high with a massive 238-run win over Nepal on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, India will kick start their tournament with the match against their traditional rivals Pakistan.
India have the upper hand against Pakistan with seven wins in 13 Asia Cup (ODI) matches. Meanwhile, Pakistan have won five with one match ending in no result.
Pakistan have also lost four of the last five matches against India in the Asia Cup, with their last win coming in Mirpur in 2014. It was the same match where Shahid Afridi hit two consecutive sixes against Ravichandran Ashwin in the last over to get Pakistan over the line.
The Asia Cup 2023 will be held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka between August 30 and September 17.
All the matches of Asia Cup will not be played in Pakistan because the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to send their team to Pakistan due to security concerns.
Pakistan are in Group A alongside Nepal and India. Meanwhile, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are in Group B.
Four matches will be played in Pakistan, while nine, including the final, will be played in Sri Lanka.
The T20 and ODI formats have alternated at the Asia Cup since 2016. The 2023 edition will be played in the 50-over format in order to help the teams prepare for the World Cup in India later this year.
India are the defending champions of the 50-over Asia Cup, which was last held in 2018.