Colombo, February 16 All-rounder Axar Patel acknowledged that there is added pressure surrounding a cricket match between India and their arch-rivals Pakistan, but said the players try to remain focused by avoiding discussions about the intensity of the long-standing rivalry.
In the latest encounter between the two teams, India defeated Pakistan by 61 runs at the Premadasa Stadium here on Sunday night to advance to the Super Eight stage of the ICC T20 World Cup.
“Yes, there is pressure. People around you, including your family or friends, talk about it. So, yes, there is a bit more pressure than in a normal match,” Axar said at the post-match press conference.
“As professional cricketers, we just focus on controlling our emotions. We don't think too much about the rivalry or put extra pressure on ourselves because of it,” he added.
“We are seeing them as a team. So, we are not thinking about these rivalries, etc. We are just focusing on cricket. So, whenever I am playing, I treat it as one match against an opponent.”
Ishan Kishan played a sensational 77 off 40 balls, helping India to a competitive total of 175 for seven, and Axar praised the opener for his game-changing innings.
“Yes, obviously, the way he batted, I think it was one of the great knocks, because it wasn't easy, the ball was spinning, some were going straight under the light, so it wasn't easy. It's just that he has been in good form in domestic cricket – he has carried that form forward to the New Zealand series, and he also scored 50 in the last match.
“So, when your confidence is high, you don't think too much about yourself or the wicket. Obviously, there is confidence and a lot of skill involved. He has not hit all his shots in one place; he has played shots all over – over the cover, slip – so he used the field well. So, I think credit goes to him,” he detailed.
India’s comfortable win did not do justice to the match’s billing as a battle between India’s batters and Pakistan’s spin bowlers.
Axar said the team was not focusing on such topics.
“We are focusing on our strengths, and it’s about the India batting versus Pakistan spin. We are not thinking about that. We are just thinking about our plan and our execution, whether we are batting first or bowling second, what we have to do, how the wicket is. All those things,” he said.
