ICC World Cup 2023: Rohit says India in nice 'rhythm' ahead of Pakistan clash

Babar Azam's gladiatorial Pakistan keen to break jinx against the hosts in Ahmedabad colosseum

By AFP

Published: Sat 14 Oct 2023, 3:28 PM

India skipper Rohit Sharma on Friday said the team remains confident going into a "massive" World Cup clash with arch-rivals Pakistan at the world's biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.

The two powerhouses renew their rivalry on Saturday at the 132,000-seater Narendra Modi Stadium, named after the Indian Prime Minister.

Favourites India have won their two opening matches of the 50-over showpiece event to get past five-time winners Australia and then Afghanistan.

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Rohit said the team has momentum after they won the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and then beat Australia in a three-match series.

"Rhythm is very important. If you look at it in other terms, it is called momentum," Rohit told reporters on the eve of the hotly-anticipated match.

"We have played seven or eight matches in India and before that in Sri Lanka and here too we played two matches of the World Cup."

He added: "The bowlers have shown very good performances. Whether it is spinners or seamers, whenever they have got a chance to put pressure on the batsmen, they have done so. All the batsmen have scored runs."

Tournament favourites India beat Australia by six wickets and then hammered Afghanistan by eight wickets riding on Rohit's record seventh World Cup century on Wednesday.

India also enjoy an unbeaten record against Pakistan in seven World Cup meetings but Rohit doesn't read too much into it.

"I am not a person who looks into all those kind of stats. We've got to play good cricket on that particular day to win the game and that is what we will be focusing on," said Rohit.

With Pakistan fans still awaiting visas to travel to India, the huge stadium is expecting a capacity home crowd for the key contest.

Meanwhile, Pakistan would be forgiven for feeling like gladiators thrown into the Colosseum when they face an India team egged on by 100,000-plus fans but skipper Babar Azam sees the match as a chance to end a jinx against their arch-rivals.

Pakistan have also won their opening two matches, and Babar is approaching the tournament's most-anticipated clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the world's largest cricket venue, with a complete disregard for the past.

"I don't think about the past, I'd rather focus on future," Babar told reporters with a wry smile on his face.

"All records are meant to be broken, and we'll try to break this record tomorrow.

"It boils down to how you perform on the day of the match. We have done pretty well in the first two matches, and I have full belief we'll do well in the next match as well."

"India-Pakistan match is a big game, a high-intensity contest. I've told my boys it's a great opportunity - give your best, execute your plans and believe in yourself," he said," he added.

Likely squads

India

Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.

Pakistan

Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.