Former legendary Pakistan cricketer Mushtaq Mohammad in his drawing room. Image Source: XtraTime[/caption]Debasis Sen, Birmingham: It is a 15 minutes drive from the Edgbaston cricket ground to 27, Astor Drive in Moseley. The taxi driver Shehzad stops in front of a beautiful house in a quite location. As I ring the bell, a 73 year old man comes out spotting a bright smile. Former legendary cricketer from Pakistan, Mushtaq Mohammad takes me inside to the drawing room, where we start our chat over the forthcoming India-Pakistan clash in the Champions Trophy final on Sunday. Here are the excerpts from the interview:
What are your thoughts about the Indo-Pak final in the ICC Champions Trophy?
It’s a dream come true. Nobody even thought about it, but it’s a great event. The two countries had some great rivalry in the past and they enjoy playing against each other. Although India has won many times in all the ICC events but I think Pakistan will give a better fight to the Indian team.
Despite being outplayed by India in the first match Pakistan has made a huge turnaround in the tournament. What according to you has been the key for Pakistan?
I think it has to come within the team. They always have to realize that look we can’t go down any more. We have to get up and fight. So I think all that motivation comes from inside the team management and the captain and I think it is all the mixture of it and then they played a very good game against South Africa and then obviously the victory against England at Cardiff. After that win they have got their confidence back and they are ready to face India this time on a much authority in terms.
What is your take about this current Pakistan team?
Pakistan team is in transition phase. Having lost Misbah and Younis Khan, the batting side is a bit weak right now. The bowling side looks ok to me. There are a lot of youngsters too who have shown a lot of promise. The team is quite inexperienced but the more they will play the better they will get and in my view they will be great team in next two years time.
And about the Indian team?
The current Indian team is definitely one of the best in the world at the moment. I think they have the right balance of batsman and bowlers who can win you matches consistently. They have had a great run in the last few months across all the formats. So they will be high in confidence going into the final.
Are you surprised that Pakistan had beaten England?
It happens in cricket. If you play well on the day you can beat anyone. If Pakitan plays well on Sunday against India they will give them a tough time. So Pakistan had their day against England at Cardiff and I think Pakistan outclassed England in the semi-final in all parts of the game and they have won it with quite a bit of conviction.
What would be the key for Pakistan to win the final against India at Oval?
India will be a tough opponent to beat in the final. They are playing a great brand of cricket having tasted success in last five months. To beat the Indian cricket team at the moment you have to be on top of your game. You have to be extra confident and have a plan B if plan A does not work. Sarafarz and his team can take confidence from the semi final win against England at Cardiff. They have to realise this is the right time to show the world they can also be world beaters.
Do you think Virat can match the likes of Sachin Tendulkar?
Virat Kohli is a complete cricketer. He is a magnificent individual. To watch his batting is absolutely magic and all his shots and placing, timing is worth watching really. I will not compare him with Tendulkar because he was a class of his own. I really used to love watching Tendulkar bat and at the same time I am glad that when Tendulkar left we have got Virat Kohli now and we also got Rohit Sharma who is equally a stylish player in my opinion. Indian cricket team has got some wonderful players now. Virat Kohli stands head and shoulder above anybody else at the moment.
Do you think the captaincy of Virat will give an edge for India?
There is no comparison between Virat Kohli and Sarfraz Ahmed. Sarfraz is very inexperienced compared to Virat. This is his first tournament as a captain and I think he has done well and proved his worth and he has the potential to become a very good captain in the future and I hope he will learn from all these experiences and all these wonderful teams he will play against in near future and it will be a worth watching final between India and Pakistan and a good example of a friendship between the two countries.
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