Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has highlighted that skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will have a huge responsibility when India lock horns with Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup later this year.
Incidentally, the International Cricket Council (ICC), on July 16 (Friday) has announced the draws for the global T20 meet. India and Pakistan are pitted in the same group of the Super 12 round. It will be a cracker of a contest and the fans are already excited for the high-profile clash.
India v Pakistan In T20 and 50-over World Cups:
12 matches, 12 wins, 0 losses.
India v New Zealand in T20 and 50-over World Cups:
10 matches, 3 wins, 7 losses.
Indian fans after the groups for the 2021 #T20WC were announced: pic.twitter.com/hj7YeUpLWt
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) July 16, 2021
Speaking on a show in Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir has asserted that the duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma need to perform from the front during the Pakistan clash in the global event.
“Ultimately it’s not the emotion that will win you a game of cricket, it is the contest between the bat and the ball that will end up winning you a game of cricket. So people like Virat Kohli for example, or Rohit Sharma will have a huge responsibility when Indian takes on Pakistan,” Gautam Gambhir said.
India-Pakistan matches are always high-pressure games: Gautam Gambhir
Speaking further, the southpaw explained what sort of pressure players go through in these high-voltage games.
When I played my first international game against Pakistan I was probably much more excited and nervous as compared to some of the guys who’ve played a lot of cricket against Pakistan. So, it is the responsibility of the senior guys to probably keep the younger guys calm,” Gautam Gambhir added.
Both India and Pakistan boast a strong side in the shortest format and any team can beat the other on any given day. The Men in Blue are currently placed second in the ICC T20 Rankings while Babar Azam’s Pakistan are in the fourth spot.