MCG my home ground: Rauf sends warning to India ahead of T20 World Cup opener

The arch-rivals, who don't play bilateral series due to geo-political tensions, will clash for a fourth time in one year at the MCG.

Lahore:Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf is banking on his knowledge gained from the Big Bash League to outsmart Indian batters in the marquee clash of the T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23. The arch-rivals, who don't play bilateral series due to geo-political tensions, will clash for a fourth time in one year at the MCG.

"If I give my best, they won't be able to play me easily. For the upcoming World Cup match, I'm very happy because it is at the Melbourne Cricket Ground," Rauf, who plays for Melbourne Stars in the BBL, said in the post-match interaction after their six-run win over England.

"It is my home ground because I play for the Melbourne Stars, and I have an idea of how the conditions play out there. I've already started planning on how I would bowl against India," he said. Pakistan took a 3-2 series lead in the seven-match T20I series here on Wednesday.

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Pakistan defeated India by 10 wickets -- for the first time in a world tournament -- in the last edition of the T20I World Cup in UAE. But recently in the Asia Cup, India secured a clinical five-wicket win before losing to Pakistan in the 'Super 4' stage.

The 28-year-old fed the Indian batters with short-pitch deliveries as he returned wicketless in their first match of the Asia Cup. But in the Super 4 stage, he accounted for the key wicket of India skipper Rohit Sharma. The 28-year-old ended the Asia Cup with eight wickets from six matches. But in the ongoing series he's been at his best, leading the tally with eight wickets from five matches.

"The match between India and Pakistan is always a high-pressure game. In the World Cup last year, I was feeling so much pressure. But in the past two matches in the Asia Cup, I didn't feel much of it because I knew I just had to give my best," Rauf added.

PTI