A pity India and Pakistan do not meet often, says former cricketerAamer Sohail

Sparks fly invariably when India meets Pakistan across 22 yards. But it is only in the ICC events the two teams come face to face nowadays.

That is a pity, according to Aamer Sohail, the former Pakistan captain who himself has featured in some of the memorable contests between the two teams. “The ICC keeps on emphasising that politics should not be involved as far as cricket is concerned and I agree with that,” he told The Hindu. “A contest between India and Pakistan always brings that anticipation all around the world. Cricket fans are deprived of that.”

The Pakistan fans were, of course, delighted that their team finally registered a victory against India, at the recent T20 World Cup. “It took a long time coming, didn’t it?” said Sohail, who is here as a television commentator for Legends League Cricket. “The people back home in Pakistan were very happy.”

He, however, feels there is room for improvement as far as the current Pakistan side is concerned. “Shaheen Afridi is the only consistent fast bowler,” he said. “And we don’t reverse swing the ball the way we used to. We tend to struggle in the middle overs.”

Sohail thinks India’s future is bright despite Virat Kohli quitting captaincy. “Rohit Sharma is a good choice as a captain,” he said. “His batting doesn’t seem to get affected by captaincy. Of course, his experience as Mumbai Indians skipper at the IPL would help.” He said Indian cricket benefited a great deal from the IPL. “It helps the new players get prepared and makes them comfortable with the camera,” he said.

“But I believe the IPL performances should not be the criterion for selection to the Test team, it should be based only on First Class cricket.”

Sohail said India’s young batters should be conscious of the great legacy of their country. “They shouldn’t forget that India has always produced the world’s best batters,” he said. “The ability to hit sixes can be handy in T20 but the longer format is more important. You need technique for that.”

About the Legends League, he said it was a success. “It has been a revelation,” he said. “You have to take your hat off to the commitment shown by the players. It has been a joy to watch them.”