Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has opened up on his side’s contest against arch-rival Pakistan at the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy by saying each match at the tournament is of equal importance as well. However, all eyes will be on Dubai on 23 February when India play against Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium as well.
“Look, we don’t go to the Champions Trophy thinking that the 23rd is the most important game for us. I think five games, all the games are important,” Gautam Gambhir told Star Sports at the annual BCCI awards night in Mumbai on Saturday. “The mission to go to Dubai is to win the Champions Trophy, not only win one particular game. But yes, if that is one game in the middle of winning the Champions Trophy, we’re going to try and take it as seriously as possible. And more importantly, I think when two countries, India and Pakistan, play against each other, obviously the emotions are really high, but ultimately the contest remains the same.”
However, only eight teams will take part in this year’s Champions Trophy, with India and Pakistan joined by Bangladesh and New Zealand in Group A with just two teams reaching to the knockout stages as well. Gambhir also opined on the major difference when comparing the tournament to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and he also knows there is little margin for error here as well.
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“Champions Trophy is a completely different challenge as compared to the 50-over World Cup because literally every game is a make-or-break, so you can’t stop anywhere in this tournament,” Gambhir added. “So hopefully we’re going to start off really well, because ultimately, if you want to go on and win the competition, you have to win five games.”
However, Gautam Gambhir said everyone needs to be contributed to win the Champions Trophy and he is backing his two most experienced players to step up and perform well also. Notably, Rohit and Kohli are the two of the three suriviving members from India’s successful Champions Trophy side that won the final against England at Edgbaston in 2013 as well.
“I think both Rohit and Virat, they add so much value to the dressing room. They add so much value to Indian cricket as well. They’ve got to play a massive role (in the Champions Trophy),” Gambhir concluded. “And I’ve said it before as well, those guys are so hungry, they want to play for the country. They have the passion to play for the country and deliver for the country.”
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India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.
India’s Group Stage Fixtures:
20 February – India vs Bangladesh, Dubai
23 February – India vs Pakistan, Dubai
2 March – India vs New Zealand, Dubai
