"Whether Or Not You Win World Cup, Have To Beat Pakistan": Shikhar Dhawan In Deleted Video

Whenever it comes to India vs Pakistan cricketing showdowns, the excitement is at the pinnacle. With the two teams set to face each other multiple times in the coming months -- In Asia Cup and ODI World Cup -- fans are eager to see the two arch-rivals in action. Veteran Indian batter Shikhar Dhawan, who isn't in the scheme of things in the national team in any of the three formats at present, spoke of the Indo-Pak cricketing rivalry from a fan's perspective.

In a video shared on social media by Star Sports, which has now been deleted, Dhawan explained how the sentiment has always been to 'not lose' against Pakistan, no matter if you win the World Cup or not.

"It has always been the case of 'Whether or not you win the World Cup, you have to beat Pakistan' (laughs). But winning the World Cup is also important and by god's grace hopefully we will. There's definitely excitement (while playing Pakistan) but also a lot of pressure. There's definitely a satisfying feeling playing against them when the match ends. Whenever I have played Pakistan, we have won mostly. The intensity on the field is also high, but there's also some light chat with them," Dhawan could be heard saying in the video.

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Dhawan has been one of India's finest performers in ICC events. His record against Pakistan also speaks volumes of the terrific performances he has produced over the years. The opening batter has scored 380 runs at a fantastic strike rate of 102.42 and a brilliant average of 54.28 against Pakistan.

However, it doesn't look like Dhawan will be a part of the Indian team either in the Asia Cup or the World Cup this year. The likes of Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan and Yashasvi Jaiswal have submitted a stronger claim for the opening spots in the Indian team in recent months.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team Shikhar Dhawan Cricket