Indian captain Rohit Sharma has played down the pressure of playing against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022 opener. India and Pakistan lock horns with each other in their campaign opener on Sunday, August 28, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
A lot of eyeballs will be on the much-awaited clash given that India were thrashed by the Men in Green in their last meeting in the ICC T20 World Cup at the same venue. Going into the Asia Cup, of which India are the defending champions, there’s a huge chatter among fans and pundits. Some feel Team India, under Rohit Sharma, will avenge their last defeat.
However, the Indian skipper is not bothered by the outside noise. Rohit, speaking to the tournament’s broadcaster Star Sports, has downplayed the hype around the contest. He said:
“Everyone watches the game and it’s a high-pressure game without a doubt, but within the group we want to create a normal atmosphere. We don’t want to hype this game too much. It’s important to tell the players who haven’t played against Pakistan or played them just one or two times that it’s just another opposition.”
Rohit Sharma was the captain of the Indian team when the Men in Blue had last won the Asia Cup in 2018. He led the side in the absence of the then regular captain Virat Kohli.
India and Pakistan squad for Asia Cup
India Squad for Asia Cup 2022: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.
Pakistan Squad for Asia Cup 2022: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir.
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