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Vice-captain and all-rounder Hardik Pandya believes that Asia Cup 2023 is not just an India-Pakistan match and will test the spirit and personality of the Indian team players. India will begin their Asia Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan in Pallekele on Sunday. If both the teams reach the final, then three matches can be seen between the two. Ahead of the tournament, Pandya spoke about the rivalry between India and Pakistan and the sentiments associated with it.
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,” he said. “There are a lot of 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 said that the matches against a team like Pakistan are not to be carried away by emotions but to take a conscious decision. He said, “We try to put extraneous emotions aside and focus on playing good cricket. We can’t be too emotional about it because then some decisions can be careless which I don’t believe in. But at the same time it is a big tournament.
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The Asia Cup, organized in the ODI format, is like a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the ICC World Cup to be played in India in October-November. 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’s a format you can adapt to, you have to get used to the conditions because the game lasts 50 overs and you have to play 100 per cent good cricket to play against a good team.”
“For me as a cricketer, my mindset changes from the fact that how I start preparing as the ODI format demands and if the preparation is right then I go on the field and read the situation,” Pandya said. Said, “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.