Before the India-Pakistan match, Pandya roared, made a big statement about pressure

New Delhi. The Indian cricket team will begin its campaign in the Asia Cup 2023 on September 2 against arch-rivals Pakistan (IND vs PAK). Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, the Indian team has reached Sri Lanka where they will play all the matches of this prestigious tournament. Ahead of the big match against Pakistan, Team India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was seen roaring. He said that this tournament is not just a match between India and Pakistan, it will test the spirit and personality of the players of the Indian team.

The match between India and Pakistan will be played at Pallakele International Cricket Stadium from 3:00 PM onwards. If both the teams reach the final, then three matches can be seen between the two. Ahead of the tournament, Pandya spoke about the Indo-Pak rivalry and the emotions associated with it.

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‘This will heighten your emotions and…’
Hardik Pandya told Star Sports, ‘This is one tournament where I have seen how it tests your spirit and personality. And it also shows how deep you can swim in water (how much pressure you can withstand). So all these things excite me. There are many emotions attached to sports fans. It is important for us to play a good team, to play against a very good team that has played very well in recent times. Pandya also mentioned that matches against a team like Pakistan are not about getting carried away by emotions but about making informed decisions.

‘It’s a big tournament’
According to Hardik Pandya, ‘We try to keep outside emotions out and focus on playing good cricket. We can’t be too emotional about it because then some decisions can be reckless which I don’t believe. But at the same time it is a big tournament. The Asia Cup is being held in the ODI format which is like a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the ICC World Cup to be played in India in October-November.

‘You don’t need any rocket science’
Talking about this format, Pandya said that along with estimating the circumstances, strategic mindset also plays an important role in it. He said, ‘This format is such that you have a bit more time to think. It is a format in which you can adapt, you have to get used to the conditions as the game lasts for 50 overs and to play against a good team you have to play 100 per cent quality cricket. For me as a cricketer my mindset changes from the fact that how I start preparing as per the demands of the ODI format and if the preparation is right then I go to the ground and read the conditions. Half the time the circumstances speak for themselves, so you don’t need any ‘rocket science’. You just watch the match and try to understand what is happening and make a wise decision.

India’s record in Pallekale is superb. Team India has played 2 ODIs here and Indian team has won all three while Pakistan team has managed to win 2 out of 5 matches.

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Tags: Asia Cup, Hardik Pandya, IND vs PAK, India Vs Pakistan