India vs Pakistan, World Cup 2019: Speaking to the press ahead of the much-anticipated encounter in Manchester, Virat Kohli said India players are treating their game vs Pakistan on Sunday as just another encounter in the quadrennial tournament.
It’s almost time for only the 7th World Cup match between India and Pakistan. The two-arch rivals face each other in what is expected to be a blockbuster match (weather permitting) in Manchester on Sunday.
No surprise, there’s massive hype around the World Cup 2019 meeting between India and Pakistan. India are heading into the match with a 6-0 record in the quadrennial tournament but Pakistan had beaten Virat Kohli’s men in the final of Champions Trophy in London just 2 years ago.
The whole world is waiting to watch the two teams in action at Old Trafford but Virat Kohli has played down the hype surrounding arguably the biggest World Cup 2019 match.
Fans have gotten a bit too emotional in the past, leading to untoward incidents in both the countries but Virat Kohli urges them to treat Sunday’s big game as “just a cricket match”.
“Watch and enjoy… it’s just a cricket match,” Kohli addressed the fans from both the countries while speaking to the press on the eve of the match in Manchester.
No single game is more important than the other: Kohli
Kohli also insisted that players can’t afford to let the sense of occasion overwhelm them during the India-Pakistan match on Sunday even as the two teams will be playing in front of a packed crowd at Manchester.
“We {India] have literally discussed nothing different from the time we came to England. The atmosphere in the dressing room hasn’t changed [ahead of Pakistan match]. We understand any game you can play for the country can be emotional, adrenaline filled. So for us, no single game is more important than the other,” Kohli said.
He added: “Cricketers who have been selected to play for the country are responsible for treating every game equally. For us nothing in the change room is different, the conversation hasn’t changed. We need to keep in mind we’re a top team and focus on our strengths.”
So ahead of blockbuster India-Pakistan match, let’s have a look at their previous ODI statistics.
India vs Pakistan ODI Head to Head
Number of matches played between India and Pakistan: 131
India won: 54
Pakistan won: 73
Tied: 0
No Result: 4
