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 further solidified the team's focus on cricketing matters, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Monday.
Pakistan had earlier announced that it would skip the February 15 match against India in Colombo, citing government directives. However, over the weekend, the PCB informed 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 their preparation. "No, as I said, we kind of accepted that as the status quo, and until we got there and they didn't show up, we were assuming that we were going to play," the former Netherlands captain told the media ahead of the team's departure for Sri Lanka.
The South African-born coach reiterated that the players were consciously avoiding the political discourse that has accompanied the contest. "We are also trying to stay away from all the politics. I have mentioned before about the sentiments of the country and the different politics between the two countries, but I think it is really important for us to just 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 is going to be a challenge going to Colombo where Pakistan have been for the last two weeks and we are fully focused on just bringing our best game to that fixture next week," he added.
India will play Namibia on February 12, 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.
