The world feels like it’s falling apart before these games. The air is thick with tension. Nerves are stretched to their limits. And anticipation crosses a fever pitch. But Pakistan’s coach Aaqib Javed does not think the Pakistan-India clash is any different from other games.
“For the cricketers, this is a profession,” Aaqib said. “For them, it definitely is an honour. But, it is a profession. You try your best. In that, you sometimes lose as well. It is a match… one team will win, one will lose. How does it matter? Why so much pressure? Every game is different.
There is a reason Pakistan and India are always grouped in the same pools in mega-events, and that reason is the sheer commercial value of these games. Fans turn up in thousands to watch the rivalry unfold in front of their very eyes. Aaqib believes the hype surrounding this face-off is largely fueled by the crowd’s energy. But he insists that the team’s focus should remain only on playing the game without letting the external pressure boss them.
“In a Pakistan-India game, the energy will remain high. And this is the beauty of this contest. What does the crowd do? When you play well, the crowd supports you, they clap their hands. When you play poorly, be it India or Pakistan, the home crowd will go against you. As a player, you shouldn’t keep the crowd in mind. We never kept it and neither should these players. What’s your focus? Ball, bat – that’s it.”
Pakistan and India are facing each other in Dubai, a venue where India will play all of their Champions Trophy matches. Having already trained and played a game here, India are likely to have an advantage over Pakistan. When asked if he thinks the conditions will be more home-like for India than Pakistan, Aaqib Javed brushed aside the idea, saying Pakistan players have played more cricket in this country.
“There’s no advantage [for India] at all, because if you look at all the Pakistani players, they have been playing leagues here. The PSL has been played here. So there’s nothing really – there’s no advantage or disadvantage.”
Dubai’s pitch behaved very sluggish in the first game played here, between Bangladesh and India. This was not unexpected, given that several games of the ILT20, which ended less than a fortnight ago, were played here. Aaqib said that Pakistan will take into account the difference between the pitches here and in Pakistan while forging their game plan.
“We also have to see the pitch and the ground here. Are these similar to the one we have in Pakistan or are they different? We will play in accordance with the pitches, conditions, and the opposition team.”
The last time both teams played a Champions Trophy game came in 2017, when Pakistan lifted the trophy, defeating India in the final. Pakistan’s survival in the tournament hinges on this very clash, should they fail to get over the line, their title defense will be all but over.
