There arguably isn't a cricketing contest that can match the hype of an India vs Pakistan match. Much like the T20 World Cup 2021, India and Pakistan will kick-off their respective campaigns in the 2022 edition of the tournament in Australia. Though a lot has been said and written about the Indo-Pak clash ahead of the October 23 showdown, the perspective of players towards this match remains a little different. Yuzvendra Chahal, one of the finest spinners in the game at the moment, has highlighted the importance of not thinking too much about this contest.
In an interview with Dainik Jagran, Chahal was asked about the anticipation for the match against Pakistan. The wrist-spinner said that for players, it's like any other match.
"When you've already played against a particular opponent, you don't worry much when you face them again. However, there is lot of hype generated by media and internet ahead of the clash against Pakistan. But for us cricketers this is just like another match and if we think too much pressure certainly builds," Chahal responded.
"I'm quite active on internet but I don't allow myself to get bothered on what is being written out there. Pakistan is a good team but the focus solely remains on our performance. The most important thing is how you perform on the match day, everything depends on that," he added, speaking of the hype around the match on social media.
When asked about his opinion of the Pakistan team, the 32-year-old said: "Pakistan's team is also good, but our main focus remains on our performance. Most importantly, it all depends on how you are playing on the day the match is held.”
Chahal is the only wrist-spinner in India's 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup. His skills, hence, all but guarantee a spot in the playing XI against Pakistan.