Ahead of the match against Pakistan, Rohit said that the contest is definitely a high-pressure game but at the end of the day, Pakistan are “just another opposition”.
The much-awaited clash between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup is just around the corner. The arch-rivals will square off on August 28 in Dubai in a group-stage clash. Having nerves heading into the contest is quite normal for players but India skipper Rohit Sharma is trying to ensure to create a calm atmosphere within the group. Ahead of the game, Rohit said that the contest is definitely a high-pressure game but at the end of the day, Pakistan are “just another opposition”.
“Obviously, it is a very exciting game. Everyone watches the game, especially India-Pakistan. It is a high-pressure game without a doubt, I think within the group, we want to create quite a normal atmosphere. We do not want to hype this game too much within ourselves. Let people outside hype the game, that’s their job to do it but for us, it is just a game of cricket and a battle between bat and ball which we have to dominate,” Rohit said on Star Sports’ show ‘Follow The Blues’.
“I think the guys who have not played against them or have played 1-2 games against them, for them also, for us, me and Rahul bhai, it is important for us to talk to these guys and letting them know it is just another opposition we will be playing. For us, it will be like any other India-Pakistan game we play, we have to focus on the game and what we need to do as individuals,” he added.
The last time India and Pakistan squared off against each other, it was Babar Azam-led side that emerged triumphant in the T20 World Cup.
Asia Cup 2022 will get underway on April 27 with Sri Lanka and Afghanistan squaring off at Dubai.
India squad for Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.
