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India and Pakistan are all set to take on each other for the fourth time in a year as the two teams will open their campaign at the T20 World Cup 2022 on October 23. Rohit Sharma-led India and Babar Azam-led Pakistan have been placed in the same Group (Group 2) and will play their first game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). It is expected to be a high-voltage match as both teams would want nothing less than a win.
As Pakistan defeated India last year in the group-stage fixture in the same tournament, the onus will be on Rohit Sharma’s side to get their pride back. But Pakistan are not going to take things easy either as their star pacer Haris Rauf has indicated with his statement on Wednesday (28 September). Rauf has sent out a warning to the Indian camp by claiming that MCG is home ground and he knows how to get the best of the batters there.
During the post-match interaction after Pakistan’s six-run win over England in the ongoing T20I series between the two teams, Rauf said that he has already started planning how he would bowl against India on the big day. "If I give my best, they won't be able to play me easily. For the upcoming World Cup match, I'm very happy because it is at the Melbourne Cricket Ground," said Rauf.
"It is my home ground because I play for the Melbourne Stars, and I have an idea of how the conditions play out there. I've already started planning on how I would bowl against India," he further clarified.
Notably, Rauf has been in some serious form as of late. His recent best performance came during the fourth T20I between Pakistan and England where he successfully defended four runs in the last over to win the match for his team.
(With PTI inputs)
