NEW YORK: India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, remains confident about Pakistan’s ability to rebound from their surprising defeat to the United States ahead of their much-anticipated T20 World Cup 2024 clash on June 9.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Saturday, Rohit emphasized Pakistan’s resilience, recalling their journey to the final in the last T20 World Cup despite a loss to Zimbabwe.
“T20 cricket is unpredictable – anything can happen. Pakistan lost to Zimbabwe last time, but they still reached the final,” said Rohit.
“A loss in the previous match doesn’t guarantee another loss. Pakistan will have analyzed their mistakes,” he added.
Rohit dismissed the notion of India having a home-ground advantage at the newly-built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, despite playing two matches there.
“In New York, conditions are the same for both teams. We’ve only been here for six or seven days; it’s not our home ground,” Rohit said.
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“The better-performing team will win, regardless of who arrived first. We don’t know how the wicket will behave,” he added.
Rohit stressed the importance of every player performing to their full potential.
“Regardless of the pitch or opponent, we must play our best cricket. We’ve discussed our game plan for Pakistan and will adapt as needed.”
“Our team is experienced, and we expect top performances from everyone. We can’t rely on just one or two players; all eleven must contribute.”
For the unversed, this will be the eighth T20 World Cup meeting between India and Pakistan. India has won six of the seven previous encounters, with Pakistan securing just one victory.
Both teams come into this match with contrasting momentum; India triumphed over Ireland by eight wickets in their opener, while Pakistan suffered a heavy defeat against the USA.
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