Former Pakistan bowler Sohail Tanvir believes Team India captain Virat Kohli is under tremendous pressure.
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Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli, according to former Pakistan fast bowler Sohail Tanvir, is under pressure before the high-voltage clash against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday. Kohli downplayed the hype around the Indo-Pak clash at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup super 12 stage as ‘just another match’, but Tanvir feels the India captain is trying to distract himself with such statements as the batsman is under pressure. The two teams face off only in the ICC tournaments, therefore the battle would become extra special.
“There’s a burden of expectations and India, on paper, are a better team and so they will have that added pressure. Virat Kohli, with his statements in the press conference, is trying to distract himself from that pressure but he must be feeling it nonetheless,” he was quoted as saying by Geo TV.
Tanvir also added that an India vs Pakistan game always adds the much-needed hype to the tournament.
“It’s a big match. India vs Pakistan is always a high-voltage game which adds to the hype of the tournament. There’s definitely pressure on the players, whether they admit it or not — both, as an individual and as a team,” he said.
India have a settled squad and have won both of their practice matches against England and Australia. The openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have been among the runs in the warm-up matches while top order batsman Suryakumar Yadav is also in good nick.
Virat Kohli wasn’t quite open about the team combination on Saturday’s press conference.
He said, “Yeah, we have spoken about our combinations, obviously. I’m not going to reveal them right now, but we have put in place a very balanced team, and something that we feel covers all bases properly. And we are pretty confident in terms of execution.”
India has a perfect record against Pakistan in the World Cup having won all 12 meetings.
“For me, it’s never been different to any other game of cricket that we play. Yes, the atmosphere in the stadium is different but our mindset is no different, our preparations are no different, and our approach to the game is certainly no different,” the Indian captain had said.
“We never discussed it within the team — what our record is, or what we achieved in the past. They distract you. What matters is how you prepare and how you perform on that given day regardless of opposition. These things are added pressure,” said Kohli.
India and Pakistan are placed in Group 2 along with New Zealand, Namibia, Scotland, Afghanistan and Namibia.
