India vs Pakistan T20 WC clash is going to be a high-intensity match: Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The T20 World Cup 2021 was shifted from India owing to the uncertainties of the Covid-19 pandemic. The draws for the tournament which is staged to be played in the UAE and Oman from October 17 to November 14 were announced on Friday, July 16. India and Pakistan have been placed in the same group and this news has already pumped up the cricket on-lookers. The Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has however asserted that the team isn’t thinking ahead of time.

The India-Pakistan face-off is a high-profile clash that always hogs a lot of attention. The two nations do not engage in any bilateral series due to political tensions and thus their matches in the ICC events are highly anticipated. But for the players, it is pivotal that they concentrate on what is in store right now. Bhuvneshwar Kumar opened up that though it feels exciting, the team is currently focusing on the cricket that is to be played before the T20 World Cup.

“Look, it is always exciting to play against Pakistan and it is always a pressure match, so of course it is going to be, you know, a high-intensity match. But to be honest, we haven’t really thought about it, how it is going to be because we have got a lot of cricket left, we have got matches in Sri Lanka, of course, Test matches in England and then IPL and then World Cup. But once of course, the IPL gets over, we will start thinking about that (World Cup).” Bhuvneshwar Kumar said at a virtual press conference.

Gautam Gambhir on the role of experienced players in T20 World Cup

Often when it comes to such high-pressure games, the experience that a few players carry under their sleeves comes in handy for the team. As they have previously faced such situations, they can take up the crunch moments confidently. Gautam Gambhir, who featured in many India-Pakistan encounters, pointed that the experienced players in the side have a big role to play in the T20 World Cup.

“It is the responsibility of the senior guys to probably keep the younger guys calm because 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,” Gambhir said on Star Sports’ show ‘ICC T20 World Cup Special’