"Pakistan Not The Destination": Gautam Gambhir Sets Record Straight Ahead Of Indo-Pak T20 WC Match

Whenever India play Pakistan, the match is branded as a 'final before the final'. It isn't yet known if the two teams will reach the summit clash of the T20 World Cup 2022 but fans often pull up in huge numbers, both in the stadium and in front of their TV sets whenever it comes to an Indo-Pak clash, especially in a World Cup. But, former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has sent an important message to Rohit Sharma's troops, stressing that the match against Pakistan isn't the 'destination'.

Gambhir, who is working as a pundit for T20 World Cup 2022 broadcaster Star Sports, said: "Pakistan is not the destination, it is just a step towards the destination".

The comments came from the former India opener during the first match of the day between Ireland and Sri Lanka.

Rolling back a year, the T20 World Cup 2021 had also begun for India with the opening match against Pakistan. Pakistan handed India a 10-wicket defeat and Virat Kohli's men couldn't bounce back. They suffered a defeat at the hands of New Zealand as well, bowing out of the World Cup in the group stage itself.

Gambhir expects a strong contest between the two teams when they will square-off at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.

"I am not going to say it's a one-sided game because Pakistan is a very strong bowling line-up. They probably have the best bowling line-up in this competition when it comes to seamers. They have got 3 quality pacers who can bowl 140-plus," Gambhir said on Star Sports.

Indian cricketers have also often branded the match against Pakistan as 'just another match'. However, the expectations of fans do paint a different picture of the contest that is arguably the biggest cricketing rivalry in the world.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team Gautam Gambhir ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Cricket