'Whether or Not You Win the WC, Don’t Lose to Pakistan': Veteran Batter on Intensity of IND vs PAK Games

Veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan opened up on playing in India vs Pakistan clash and admitted that the expectations to beat the arch-rivals are more than winning the World Cup. The two neighbouring teams will next face each other in Asia Cup 2023 and then in ODI World Cup.

Dhawan, who has played versus Pakistan on numerous occasions in the mega tournaments, suggested that intensity on the field is high but the players of both teams also share light chat.

“It has always been the case of ‘Whether or not you win the World Cup, don’t lose to Pakistan’ (laughs). But winning the World Cup is also important and by God’s grace hopefully we will. There’s definitely excitement (while playing Pakistan) but also a lot of pressure. There’s definitely a satisfying feeling playing against them when the match ends. Whenever I have played Pakistan, we have won mostly. The intensity on the field is also high, but there’s also some light chat with them,” Dhawan said in a video posted by Star Sports.

Meanwhile, with the rise of Shubman Gill and Team India entering the transitional phase, Dhawan has struggled to find his place in the ODI team. The southpaw last played for India in December last year after that India decided to give a long rope to youngster Shubman Gill to open alongside Rohit Sharma and picked Ishan Kishan as the backup opener.

Dhawan, who has represented India in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is with over 10,000 international runs, enjoys batting in the ICC tournaments as his record in the mega events is astonishing.

The veteran opener has played in the 2013 and 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2015 and 2019 editions of the ODI World Cup, he scored six centuries and amassed 1238 runs at an average of 65.15 in the ICC tournaments.

“It’s a very special feeling when you play in a World Cup and that’s what you prepare for when you are playing bilateral series,” Dhawan told ICC

“Your main aim in that or when the World Cup is going to come. So we’re maturing ourselves and bilateral series are like a step-by-step [process]. You take small steps to reach the bigger target and of course, it’s a whole different feeling.” he added.