'They thought Pakistan can't beat them' - Ramiz Raja makes bold claim on team India

Ramiz Raja, Pakistan team (Image Source: Twitter)

Pakistan have been at their best of late and they almost won the T20I series against England at home which concluded on October 2, Sunday. The Men in Green lost the series 3-4 despite putting on a great fight and boarded the flight to New Zealand to take part in the tri-series involving Bangladesh. 

Much to the manna of Pakistani fans, the Men in Green started the series with a win against Bangladesh on Friday. Pakistan recently defeated India in the Super 4s round of the Asia Cup 2022 and in the 20-20 World Cup 2021 prior to that. Ramiz Raja, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) chairman, who was delighted with the recent performances, told in an interview with Dawn News that India have started to respect Pakistan. 

Lauding the team for giving a tough fight against India, Raja said that the current team had defeated a billion-dollar board. “These games are more about the mentality, rather than skill and talent. Even small teams can beat big teams, if they have the temperament of not giving up. Pakistan have always been the underdogs heading into (World Cup) games against India. But, they have started to give us respect, of late. Earlier, they thought that Pakistan can't beat them,” Raja told Dawn News.

We never won against India: Raja

Recalling his days as a player, PCB's chief said that his team had never won against India. Further, Raja said that the current team deserves a lot of appreciation and added that they must be backed further. 

“So we should give credit to this current Pakistan team. We defeated a billion-dollar cricket industry. I have played World Cups but we never won against India. This team should be appreciated. Despite limited to resources, we are giving them a tough fight,” said Raja. 

The Men in Green will open their account in the 20-20 World Cup against India on October 23. The Rohit Sharma-led team would look to avenge Pakistan for the defeat in the previous edition while Pakistan, on the other hand, would look to carry on with the momentum. All said and done, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is bracing to host one of the greatest rivalries of all time.