New Delhi, February 10 India had always been mentally prepared to face Pakistan in the T20 World Cup league match, and the neighboring country's recent decision to end its boycott has only strengthened the team's focus on cricketing matters, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Monday.
"Yes, first of all, I think it's great that the game is back on," Ten Doeschate said about the match against the arch-rivals.
For Ten Doeschate, the players never considered that they would get a walkover.
"We kind of never changed the preparation that the game wasn't going to happen; we always had the impression that something would transpire, and we would play, so it's not a big change in the way we go about things.
"I guess we got confirmation with the leg yesterday and early this morning that the game was going ahead, and we would like to have another chance to play against a quality side, and it's good for the team," Ten Doeschate said.
Pakistan had earlier announced that it would skip the February 15 contest against India in Colombo, citing government directives, but over the weekend, the PCB conveyed to the ICC that the team would participate in all its scheduled matches, bringing an end to the uncertainty surrounding the marquee fixture.
Ten Doeschate said that the Indian dressing room never allowed off-field developments to affect its preparation.
"No, like I said, we kind of accepted that as a status quo, and until we got there and they didn't show up, we were assuming we were going to play," the former Netherlands captain told the media ahead of the game against Namibia here on Thursday.
The South African-born coach reiterated that the players were consciously keeping away from the political discourse that has accompanied the contest.
"We're also trying to stay clear of all the politics. I've mentioned before about the sentiments of the country and the different politics between the two countries, but I think it's really important for us just to focus on the cricket side of things," he said.
Ten Doeschate, however, acknowledged that Pakistan could enjoy a logistical advantage having already spent considerable time in Colombo.
"It's going to be a challenge going to Colombo, where Pakistan have been for the last two weeks, and we're fully focused on just bringing our best game to that fixture next week," he added.
India will play Namibia on Thursday here, and Ten Doeschate believes that clarity over Pakistan's participation will allow both teams to approach the contest purely as a sporting rivalry.
With the ICC facilitating dialogue between the stakeholders to ensure the tournament proceeds smoothly, the focus now shifts firmly to the field, where another high-voltage India-Pakistan encounter awaits.
