Wasim Akram urges Indian pacers to stay patient in WTC final
Final will begin on June 7 at The Oval
Former Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram has advised Indian pacers to stay patient and not give away extra runs in the first overs of the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Further continuing, Akram stated that India’s pacers should not get too excited if the ball bounces too much in the first overs.
"We all know it swings for 10 to 15 overs, so don't give away extra runs in the first 10 to 15 overs as a fast bowler,” Wasim was quoted as saying by ICC on its official website.
"(Early on) don’t get too excited if there is a bit of bounce as that is what the Australians want."
The 57-year-old also said that Indian pacers are experienced and they should not get ahead of themselves.
"These guys are experienced, and they shouldn’t get carried away (with the new ball)," he said.
Talking about the pitch of The Oval stadium, the former Pakistan captain argued that the pitch usually favours teams from the sub-continent.
"This pitch normally favours teams from the sub-continent, but whenever we toured here... it was always at the end of August or the start of September," Wasim said.
"This one is in June, the square is different, fresh square, and the ball is different altogether as a Dukes."
It must be noted that Wasim’s best Test bowling figure of 67/6 came at The Oval against England in the fifth test of the series.
Earlier, Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli stated that Team India can't be taken lightly anymore.
Speaking to Star Sports, Kohli said they are confident in giving tough time to Australia.
"We can't be taken lightly as a Test team. We can see the respect the oppositions have for us. They expect us to give a close fight even in their conditions. We can't be taken lightly anymore," The 34-year-old said.
The right-handed batter believes that the respect element was added to the India-Australia rivalry after they won against the Aussies in 2018 and 2019.
“The rivalry between India and Australia, in the early days, used to be a lot [more] intense. There used to be a tense environment. But after we won two series in Australia, the rivalry has turned into respect,” he added.
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