A battle of nerves, an emotional roller-coaster and the pressure of great expectations – an India versus Pakistan encounter is a confluence of all three.
The two sides will face each other on Saturday at the Narendra Modi Stadium for a marquee ODI World Cup fixture. The match will be a challenge for both teams to remain focused amidst the noise of the 1,20,000-plus crowd.
Most of the Pakistan cricketers are on their maiden India tour. Spin bowling great and former head coach Saqlain Mushtaq believes it is important to stay calm and assess situations without worrying about the outcome. Having experienced the pressure of playing in India multiple times, Saqlain understands the expectations from fans will be sky-high, especially as it is a World Cup fixture.
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Saqlain has a simple message for the teams: “Go out there and enjoy your game…”
During the last two ICC events, the T20 World Cups in 2021 and 2022, Saqlain was the head coach of the Pakistan team. He recalls having long conversations with the players before the India vs Pakistan matches to help calm their nerves.
“When we played in the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup, not many expected us to win as India was clearly the favourite. But I told the team not to think about what the world believes and back their skills,” Saqlain tells Sportstar.
“I told them that uparwala insaan ke upar utna hi bojh daalta hai, jitna woh le sakta hai (God puts only so much pressure on people which they can endure)… The idea was to tell them that they had the firepower in them to beat even the strongest team and that they should believe in themselves…
“I spoke to them individually and tried instilling self-belief, and eventually, that worked,” Saqlain says.
In the Super-12 match in 2021, Pakistan thrashed India by 10 wickets. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam had an unbeaten century partnership, while Shaheen Shah Afridi took three wickets and destroyed India’s top-order.
A lot has changed since.
In a T20 World Cup match played in Melbourne last year, Virat Kohli’s exceptional performance helped India secure a victory against its arch-rival. Additionally, India beat Pakistan in the Asia Cup last month, eventually winning the title by defeating Sri Lanka in the final.
But ODI cricket is a different ball game altogether.
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Before the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka this year, India and Pakistan had last faced off in ODIs during the 2019 World Cup, with India emerging as the winner.
However, with Pakistan now holding the record for the highest successful run chase in ODI World Cups by chasing down 345 runs against Sri Lanka, former Pakistani cricketer Mushtaq expects the team to remain composed as they enter the game.
Since the tournament was assigned to India, Mushtaq had been eager to visit. He is determined to watch every moment of the match, taking time off from his television job.
“On the field, aapna rivalry chalta rahega (our rivalry will continue), but off the field, dosti bani rahe (let friendship continue)…” he says, adding, “That’s all we need in this world...”
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