Ind vs Pak: Usman Tariq just a regular off-spinner, says Ganguly

Kolkata, Feb 14 (PTI) Former captain Sourav Ganguly on Saturday termed Pakistan's Usman Tariq as a regular off-spinner who releases the ball only after taking a pause in his delivery stride, expressing confidence that Indian batters will handle him well in the T20 World Cup clash.

India and Pakistan are set to face off in a Group A clash in Colombo on Sunday, and the 28-year-old Tariq has featured prominently in pre-match discussions as an 'X-factor'.

Indian batters will be up against the right-arm spinner, who has taken 11 wickets in only four T20Is so far, for the first time in spin-friendly conditions at the R Premadasa Stadium.

"It's difficult to predict in T20s but India are a good team and it's not easy to beat them," Ganguly, the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), told reporters during a T20 World Cup magazine launch here.

"Nothing is difficult, he (Tariq) is an off-spinner and he just bowls with a pause. He is an out-an-out off-spinner and India will play him well," he said.

Ganguly, however, expects India to field an unchanged playing eleven against Pakistan.

"Axar (Patel), Varun (Chakravarthy), (Jasprit) Bumrah and Arshdeep (Singh) should be the frontline bowlers. I don't think Rinku (Singh) should be replaced for Kuldeep (Yadav), because you have to take care of the balance in batting department as well. I feel the same team should be played." "India will play well," Ganguly added.

Asked about the influence of opener Abhishek Sharma, who was recently hospitalised with a stomach infection, Ganguly emphasised on keeping the focus on the team. "One individual doesn't matter," he said.

The former BCCI president also said that the current Pakistan team is not the same as before. "The quality of batsmanship like Inzamam (Ul Haq), Saeed Anwar, Mohammad Yousuf, Wasim (Akram), Waqar (Younis)... that was a different team. This team is not there anymore," Ganguly concluded. PTI