Rankings don’t matter – Sourav Ganguly issues stern statement about India -Pakistan clash in the Asia Cup

As India’s upcoming clash against Pakistan looms large, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has shared his two-pence on the potential result of one of cricket's biggest rivalry. 

India will commence their Asia Cup campaign with a match-up against Pakistan on September 2nd, and the two teams stand a chance to face off thrice in the tournament if all results go their way.  

Despite India’s recent dominance in ODIs, Pakistan will start the game will have their noses ahead of the Men in Blue as they currently hold the second position in the ICC rankings while India is in the third position of the table, trailing their arch-rivals by five points.

However, Ganguly believes that there is nothing that India needs to worry about, particularly in terms of rankings. He made it very clear that at the end of the day, when the two clash, all the numbers and history are put on the back burner.

Ganguly said, “Rankings don’t matter, who plays well on that day matters. They are a very good side. They have a very good bowling attack — Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf. They are a very balanced team. India is a strong side. It’s how you play on that particular day; there is no rocket science to it. Both teams are formidable, and the one who executes (plans) better will win the match."

Ganguly was also asked about Rahul Dravid’s approach as a coach, in line with the questions raised over India's experimentation, especially with the squad and playing XI.  

However, the former BCCI chief concluded by saying, “He’s too big a player to be rated. I wish him all the best for the World Cup.”