Harbhajan slams Pakistan lineup, dismisses India vs Pakistan match as 'an overhyped contest', predicts Rizwan and co. 'won't put up a fight'

With the highly anticipated match scheduled for February 23 in Dubai, Harbhajan boldly predicted a dominant victory for Team India.

"India and Pakistan. You heard it right—this is an overhyped match between India and Pakistan. Because there is nothing in it," Harbhajan remarked on a YouTube channel, making his stance clear.

A key factor behind his assessment is Pakistan’s inconsistent batting line-up, which he believes lacks the firepower to challenge India. He dissected the numbers of Pakistan’s key batters and found little reason for optimism.

"Look at their main batters. Their star batter is Babar Azam. His average against India is 31. If you are a top batter, you have to average around 50. Then, there is Rizwan. I like him as a player. He plays freely. But his average against India is 25. Fakhar Zaman, their only full-time opener, has an average of 46. It's a good average. Fakhar can take the game away from India.

"Faheem Ashraf averages 12.5! I don't think he will be a big threat. Saud Shakeel has an average of 8 against India. Looking at their batting line-up, I don't get the confidence that this team will even fight," Harbhajan asserted.

The demand for tickets has remained sky-high for the clash between the two arch-rivals, however. The 25,000-seater Dubai International stadium witnessed another rapid sell-out when sales reopened on February 16, highlighting the frenzy that accompanies any India-Pakistan contest.

One-sided fixtures

The last few encounters between the two sides do back up Harbhajan's claim, though. Pakistan failed to chase down 120 against India in the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York, while their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign saw them crumble for 191 before India cruised to victory inside 31 overs.

However, Pakistan will hope to draw confidence from their superior head-to-head record against India in Champions Trophy history, where they lead 3-2, including their famous 2017 final triumph.

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