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ODI World Cup 2023: Indian captain rules out any favouritism ahead of the match against Pakistan

Ahead of the important clash against Pakistan, Indian captain Rohit Sharma rules out any favouritism due to home ground over arch-rivals.

By Soumya | Oct 14, 2023 | 3 Min Read

A day before a big match against Pakistan can be challenging for the most seasoned of India captains. Naturally, Indian captain Rohit Sharma also had to face the heat this time. The importance of the match always attracts press and attention from everywhere. Traditionally, both captains are bombarded with questions in the pre-match presentations. However, Rohit came out of this press conference after proving himself both as a statesman and as a cricketer. Sharma did not entertain any nonsensical comments and was only focused on the game upfront. Rohit handled everything with aplomb with his sublime and mildly ridiculous demeanour.

There were serious questions too, which needed delicate handling. “Playing out one of the biggest rivalries in all sports, in front of arguably the biggest crowd in all sport – almost all of whom are expecting you to win – in a stadium named after your prime minister… When does the home advantage start becoming a disadvantage? It is a fair question. Rohit took a pause to reflect on the gravity of it.” However, Sharma also knows that any press conference of India vs Pakistan is sure to include some spiced-up content to make this rivalry interesting.

Indian captain rules out any room for favouritism against arch-rivals

Although India is playing in front of a jam-packed home crowd, the Indian captain rules out that factor to be detrimental to the team’s win against Pakistan. Then he said: “I don’t think there is any disadvantage. You feel nice about playing in front of your home crowd. They get behind you no matter what the situation of the game is. My overall experience playing, not just in India, but even outside India, we get massive support. So, I have so far never experienced where the crowd has gone against us or anything like that.”

“So, I look at this as a good advantage, big advantage. But we know that eventually, it boils down to playing good cricket. And whatever it takes to win the game, you’ve got to do that. So yes, you can use the support, but eventually, you’ve got to play good cricket to win the game.” When asked about the psychological advantage that India has over Pakistan, Rohit was quite upfront and diplomatic. “I don’t think it [7-0 record against Pakistan in World Cups] is a psychological advantage. Because you have to play good cricket every day. So, it’s important for us as a team that we, as I said, should not pay too much attention to what is already over. And, we should also pay attention to the fresh day, the fresh opposition.”

“Both the teams will start evenly. I don’t think there is a favourite or an underdog. Both the teams are equal before they go into the game. It’s just about handling the pressure, dictating terms.” Naturally, one can guess the level of temperament that the team has going forward in the tournament. Such a calm demeanour from the captain will also help to keep the team in good shape as the tournament progresses.