We will consider the India-Pakistan clash like any other game: Mohammad Rizwan
Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan has said they will not overhype their World T20 clash against India. India and Pakistan will open their T20 World Cup campaign with a clash against one another in Dubai on the 24th of October. Rizwan said they will treat it as a normal game.
India's undefeated streak against Pakistan in World Cups adds plenty of context to the encounter. The Men in Blue have beaten their arch-rivals in all five T20 World Cup games, including the epic 2007 final in Johannesburg.
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Mohammad Rizwan stated that, unlike social media, they won't hype the fixture. Rizwan is wary of the build-up creating additional pressure.
In a virtual press conference, the 29-year-old said, as quoted by Cricket Pakistan:
"This India-Pakistan match, we will consider it like any other game. The hype is being created by the social media and fans which is fine but in our hearts and minds, we will consider this game the same as one against any other side. Because, if we as players take on the additional pressure of this game, then that won’t be good as it has happened before."
The right-handed batsman asserted that the changes to their squad won't affect them psychologically as such situations have become the new normal. Fakhar Zaman, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Haider Ali have been added to the 15-man squad, while Azam Khan and Mohammad Hasnain were left out. Khushdil Shah, meanwhile, went to the reserves.
No team has a special advantage in the UAE or elsewhere: Mohammad Rizwan
Rizwan also opined that no team will enter the contest as the favorites as far as the conditions in the UAE go. He believes that despite Pakistan having played plenty of cricket at the venue, they won't hold any advantage.
"I have never been a believer in the fact that any one side, including Pakistan, has any special advantage in UAE or anywhere else," he said. "All we can say is that the tournament is being held in Asia as I consider UAE to be in Asia.
"Yes, we have been playing there for a while and we used to say that UAE is our home ground but I never accepted that because the pitches there, from what I understood, were made with soil from Australia or from other parts of the world," he added. "So, even if UAE was called our home ground, that was not the case."
The Peshawar-born cricketer has been one of the best T20 batsmen in recent times. With 752 runs in 17 games at an average of 94, he is the highest run-getter in T20Is this year. Pakistan's chances will rest largely on his and Babar Azam's opening partnership.