Sunil Gavaskar has backed the Indian batters to come out good against Pakistan in the Asia Cup final on Sunday. While opener Abhishek Sharma has done bulk of the scoring, the other batters have struggled for rhythm and consistency. Speaking to India Today ahead of the final, the former India captain, however, backed the likes of Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson and Hardik Pandya to step up, adding that big runs could come from any of them.
"There are several key players who can make a difference. Suryakumar Yadav is due for runs, as are Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, and Hardik Pandya. Shubman Gill has batted well but hasn't yet delivered the big scores we've come to expect from him recently. There's plenty of batting firepower left, so there's no need to be overly concerned," said the batting great.
Gavaskar also backed Abhishek to push for a century in the final, having missed out on the milestone a couple of times already.
"Abhishek Sharma, in particular, won't let opportunities slip by. He's been in good form with three half-centuries and, despite an unfortunate run-out that cost him a potential century, he's likely to aim for another big innings-possibly even a three-figure score," he added.
After a relatively quiet group stage, Abhishek has struck 74 (vs Pakistan), 75 (vs Bangladesh) and 61 (vs Sri Lanka), playing his brand of belligerent cricket.
Ahead of the final, India's bowling coach Morne Morkel expressed its excitement over the "edge of the seat" battle between Abhishek and Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi. It was Abhishek who won the battle when the two teams met in the Super Four.
"Shaheen is obviously an aggressive bowler that will try and knock you over. And Abhishek is not going to hold back. I think so far, every time these two went head-to-head, we all as cricket supporters and fans are on the edge of our seats, and that's great for the game," Morkel said.
(With PTI Inputs)