If a player wants to handle the pressure, he should play against India – Junaid Khan

Pakistan fast bowler Junaid Khan believes if a player wants to learn how to handle the pressure, he should play against India. India-Pakistan matches are always high pressure games and it is not easy to keep the emotions in check for the players. The arch-rivals though don’t play each other on a regular basis due to political tension between them.

On the other hand, both the teams last played against each other back in a bilateral series in 2012-13 when Pakistan toured India. The tourists were able to clinch the three-match ODI series by 2-1 whereas the T20I series was drawn 1-1.

Junaid Khan was the pick of the bowlers as he finished as the joint highest wicket-taker in the ODI series. The left-arm seamer scalped eight wickets in the ODI series, including a four-wicket haul in Delhi.

“If a player wants to learn how to handle pressure, he should play against India. There is a lot of pressure on both teams during India-Pakistan encounters. I learned how to handle pressure during the 2012 series against India in India. Fans from both countries will enjoy these matches but the decision to play the series depends on the administrators,” Junaid told Cricket Pakistan.

On the other hand, Junaid Khan added that a player who has good terms with the Pakistan captain is backed longer in the team. Khan last played a Test match back in 2015, ODI in 2019 and a T20I match in 2014. Since then he has been out of the national team.

“It is like if you are on good terms with the captain and team management then you will probably get a proper run in all formats to prove your worth. If you don’t have close relations with them then you are in and out,” Junaid said. 

Khan scalped 71 wickets in 22 Test matches, 110 wickets in 76 ODI matches and took nine wickets in eight T20Is. However, he hasn’t found a place in the team in the last two years.