Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has declined to comment on India's chances at the upcoming ICC T20I World Cup 2022 in Australia, which will witness the Men in Blue face their bitter rivals Pakistan for the third time in four years in a major tournament. The last time India faced Pakistan in an international tournament, they faced a debilitating 10-wicket loss over the Green Army.
The two rivals will face off once again on October 23 in their tournament opener as Pakistan hope to continue their form against India. This high-voltage match will be played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Before the last game against Pakistan, Harbhajan proudly said that their rivals should give a walkover to India, given their poor track record at World Cups against the Men in Blue.
"I told Shoaib Akhtar that there's no sense in Pakistan participating; you should give us a walkover. You’ll play, you’ll lose again, and you’ll be upset. Our squad is extremely solid, very powerful, and they will easily beat you guys," the Turnbanator had said before the last India-Pakistan game last year.
Therefore, when the Indian side suffered their humiliating defeat against Pakistan, 'Bhajji' as he is fondly called by his fans, was made to swallow his words and was brutally trolled for his inaccurate prediction.
But in a recent chat with former Pakistan pace legend Shoaib Akhtar, Harbhajan was wise enough to make any predictions this time around. "We have another T20 World Cup, and this year, I won’t be giving any statement and won’t talk over who will win [between Pakistan and India]. Mauka-Mauka or whatever, we will see what is going to happen as last time around things went bad due to this," said the legendary spinner.
In fact, Akhtar even advised Harbhajan to not make a prediction on the high-voltage clash just yet.
India had a dismal 2021 T20 World Cup, getting eliminated in the group stages itself. However, fans were even more disappointed by their performance against Pakistan, which saw the Virat Kohli-led side put up a respectable total of 151 runs in 20 overs, with Pakistan reaching the target in 13 balls without losing a single wicket. Mohammad Rizwan scored 79 runs, while skipper Babar Azam led the charge with 68 runs to his name.
