Team India witnessed a dominating game in their favour in the only warm-up fixture against Bangladesh and now they are ready to commence their T20 World Cup 2024 journey. The men in blue will be locking horns with Ireland in their opening game of the tournament at the Nassau County Stadium in New York on June 5. But the fans across the subcontinent are eagerly waiting for the mouth-watering clash against the arch-rivals; Pakistan, on June 9 at the same venue.
In the last decade of so, India and Pakistan have only managed to face each other only at the ICC events. India’s unbeaten streak against Pakistan in the T20 World Cups came to a halt when under the captaincy of Virat Kohli India suffered a 10-wicket loss in Dubai. However, India managed to earn their revenge in 2022 when Virat played a memorable knock of 82* at the iconic MCG.
Team India will be looking to maintain their lead and extend it to 5-1 lead against Pakistan in New York. Ahead of the much-hyped face-off, deputy skipper, Hardik Pandya spoke on Star Sports -match show pre ‘Caught and Bold’ where he thanked the Indian fans for their endless support.
ALSO READ: Rahul Dravid Discusses India’s Opening Combination Ahead of T20 World Cup 2024 Opener
“There is a crowd everywhere you go. I’m sure in this group as well everyone wants to make sure we win the India-Pakistan game. So that is very normal, which I accept. At the same point of time, I do my best to disconnect from all those things and focus on the sport,” Hardik Pandya said.
He further explained, “I’m very grateful to fans, they come and support us with all love and everything. But, at the same point of time, when we go inside there we can’t think of anything else.”
Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant termed it a ‘special’ game and spoke about the pressure of the India vs Pakistan match-up.
ALSO READ: Sanju Samson Draws Inspiration From Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma As He Prepares For T20 WC 2024
During teh chat with Star SPorts, Rishabh Pant sad, “It’s always quite exciting because it’s a special match. You always feel more pressure because people remember these matches for a long time.”
