DUBAI: India coach Rahul Dravid said he remains confident in his bowlers despite them not being as “glamorous” as their Pakistan counterparts in the Asia Cup T20 tournament.
The arch-rivals, who only play each other in multi-nation tournaments due to political tensions, will clash in the Super Four stage in Dubai on Sunday.
It will be the second meeting between the two Asian giants in the competition after India edged out Pakistan in the group stage.
“They are a good bowling side, but we also bowled well to restrict them to 147 (in the first match),” Dravid said on being asked whether Pakistan have a better bowling line-up.
“End-of-the-day bowling analysis is the most important thing. You are judged by the results you produce. I respect their bowling but I am very confident that we have a good bowling attack that produces results.”
The former captain, on the eve of the high-profile match, told reporters: “(Our bowling) might not look very glamorous but in terms of results we got some guys who produce results.”
Pace bowler Avesh Khan remains doubtful for the key clash.
“Avesh has been under the weather but hopefully he should be okay for tomorrow or for the later part of the tournament,” said Dravid.
India’s bowling, led by experienced seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, have Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya as pace options followed by spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel, who replaced the injured Ravindra Jadeja.
Dravid believes high-pressure matches against Pakistan remain a good test for the team ahead of the T20 World Cup in October-November.
“We know Pakistan is a good team and it is a challenging match,” said Dravid.
“It will be a packed stadium and there is always an edge to these games and it’s good to play such games where you are tested. It’s good to play such tournaments before the World Cup.”
Pakistan suffered injury blows with three of their fast bowlers including ace quick Shaheen Shah Afridi, but Naseem Shah’s express pace has kept the opposition batsmen wary.
Pace bowler Haris Rauf insists the 19-year-old Shah, who has taken four wickets in two matches and clocks speeds of over 90 mph, has given him confidence despite Afridi’s absence.
“The way Naseem bowled in the last two matches, that has given me the confidence,” said Rauf.
“Partnerships are important in bowling as well. I have been playing with Shaheen for a while. I used to be relaxed when Shaheen is around. But seeing Naseem, I am getting the situation I am comfortable to bowl in.”
