All-rounder Shadab Khan feels that Pakistan players have to show mental toughness during the mega ODI World Cup clash against India as the crowd support won’t be in their favour. The two arch-rivals will clash against each other on October 14 at Narendra Modi Stadium which is expected to be all blue with an astonishing capacity of over 1 lakh people. India last played an ODI match against Pakistan during the 2019 ODI World Cup in England where Virat Kohli and Co. completely outclassed their arch-rivals.
Meanwhile, the two teams last played against each other in India in 2016 during the mega T20 World Cup where Kohli smashed a half-century to help the Men in Blue emerge victorious at Eden Gardens.
Shadab suggested that the Pakistan players are mentally strong and confident that they will do well in the World Cup.
“We won’t have the crowd support in India. In that sense we’ll have to be very strong mentally. The way our players are, mentally strong, I think we’ll have a good tournament,” Shadab told Cricket Pakistan.pk.
Shadab, who will be a vital cog for Pakistan in the mega ICC event, said that it will be important for any team to start strong in the WC as it will be played in a round-robin stage.
“Winning the World Cup in India will be like the icing on the cake… Definitely, whichever team comes will come to win the tournament, but the key is how you as a team play and how you start because we will have to play against every team; it’s a great opportunity for all the teams,” he added.
The last two clashes between India and Pakistan saw contrasting results. Babar Azam’s men defeat India by 10 wickets in the T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai, in the 50-overs format they are yet to claim a win over their neighbours.
Meanwhile, last year in the T20 World Cup in Australia, Virat Kohli played a stunning knock to snatch a win from the jaws of defeat.
India will face Pakistan in Asia Cup ahead of the World Cup where the two teams have a chance to clash against each other more than one time.
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