India are all set to take on Pakistan in their second game of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup on 9th June 2024. The match is going to happen at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York and the Men in Blue started their campaign with a one-sided win over Ireland.
Though Pakistan suffered a shocking defeat against USA in their tournament opener, they will look to make a comeback against their arch-rivals and fans are also gearing up to witness this epic battle.
To build up that contest, here is the India-Pakistan conclave where former legendary cricketers like Shoaib Akhtar (Pak), Ian Bishop (WI), Brad Hogg (Aus), Sourav Ganguly (Ind), and Gautam Gambhir (Ind) shared the value of this epic battle to them in exclusive chats with the Editor-in-Chief of RevSportz, Boria Majumdar, as they have witnessed it closely being an integral part of this beautiful sport.
Shoaib Akhtar
Regarding the India vs Pakistan occasion, Shoaib Akhtar said: “If you are brave enough, you are going to enjoy that contest. If you are a coward, this contest is not for you! This is the contest where people want players to become big names, superstars, and if you really want to be a big name, you know what is the place? Eden Gardens, where I got out Sachin first ball.
Little did I know that Sachin is the greatest player of all time, he is my all-time favourite, because I have never seen Sir Vivian Richards! Both as a player and a human being, great guy, a legend. He had to face Shane Warner, Wasim Akram, Glenn McGrath and then, South Africa’s pace battery.”
“Then, he came against Bret Lee, me, Dale Steyn, and the rest of the guys. The way he managed himself, it was just amazing! The way he smashed us in the Centurion, nothing less than extraordinary. Before that night, not making an excuse, I was in hospital due to knee issues. My knees were numb and since 97, my knees were gone. But it was an extraordinary innings! Apart from him, Yuvraj Singh was there, greatest of all time when it comes to middle-order. This event I have remembered because they smashed Pakistan all around the park. Though, we used to have that confidence that India cannot win against us,” he further added.
On India’s chances of handling the pressure in this big match, Akhtar said: “India do not lose due to lack of talent, they lose due to the pressure created by their own media. I request you and all other media to have some mercy on Team India. So much pressure is there and that we both know as we work behind the scenes! Ultimately it is a wrong thing to do, when it creates pressure on Team India. I still remember in Dubai in 2021, all the media were like India will crush Pakistan. So, you made Pakistan the underdogs and then, there is no pressure on us. Just go there and win. Pakistan have nothing to lose and just, go enjoy the match and try your best to win it.”
Ian Bishop
The former West Indian speedster said: “It is a fantastic rivalry. If you go back to the T20 World Cup contest in 2022 in Australia, you could not have written a better script than a full house MCG and the match went down to the last ball. It is always fascinating to watch and it also shows that only these nations, the craze of this match goes beyond these nations!”
Bishop shared high praises for India’s Virat Kohli as he said: “He is a man with a sense of occasion and a master of the white-ball, particularly for the 50-over format.” On the other hand, he also talked about Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi. “He is a world class performer and I look forward to his match-up with India. As a former fast bowler, my eyes will be on him and India’s Jasprit Bumrah as without quality fast bowling units, you cannot win tournaments.”
Brad Hogg
“This is one of the biggest contests that we can have,” said Brad Hogg. The former Aussie spinner further added: “Look, politics plays spoilsport, we are missing such a great rivalry and it will be better for Pakistan to get back that exposure. It will be better for cricket because we need Pakistan and India. Both cricket loving countries and they are always up to witness this match.”
Hogg also said that India have a better and dominant batting lineup but the Men in Green have a slight advantage when it comes to the pace bowling unit between these two countries. Hogg said: “Shaheen Shah Afridi, if you can expose Virat Kohli early against him with the new ball and you have Rohit Sharma there in the middle, that is the contest! Shaheen Afridi vs India’s top three will be decisive. For me, that is where the game is going to be won or lost for India or Pakistan.”
Sourav Ganguly
“It is a huge game and it is the mindset of the players which is important. I managed to create a mindset as important as an India-Australia or India-South Africa game. That is the challenge that everybody needs to understand. It is not easy but that is what international sport is all about, how you deal with big games. I am sure there are a lot of players already who have played this game before. So, they are used to the occasion, atmosphere, and public expectations. So, it has not changed and will not change in future.”
“I have played a lot of India-Pakistan games during my career and captained a lot of them. This will be a much more competitive game than it was before. Pakistan defeated India in 2021 in Dubai. India is favourite, no doubt about it, especially the record they have over the last 10-11 years. But it is a new game and you may have won all previous games, but that does not give you a guarantee of winning this next game. India is a strong team, good fast bowlers, and fantastic spinners but it is all about the execution!”
Gautam Gambhir
The former Team India batter is still remembered for his fantastic knock in the 2007 T20 World Cup final against Pakistan. When he was asked about scoring those runs in a crucial game like this, Gambhir said: “When it comes to those crunch games, knockout games, so called big games, you cannot make a mistake. You make a mistake and then, you may not get an opportunity again. It is courage, you still have to be positive.”
“If you have the courage to back yourself to hit every ball and look for scoring runs, I think you will be fine. But the moment you start thinking that if I make any mistake, what is going to happen? If I get out, what is going to happen? you have anyway lost the contest. People with courage will score runs in this kind of a game and a team with courage will come out victorious,” Gambhir concluded.