Defeating India in a World Cup match is more than simply a game for Pakistani cricket players; it’s a source of pride and nostalgia for the country. Recently, Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batter, Mohammad Rizwan, spoke candidly about the remarkable events that followed their historic T20 World Cup 2021 triumph over the Men in Blue.
Prior to the 2021 T20 World Cup, only one World Cup victory—in both formats—had been achieved by the Men in Green over India. In T20 World Cups, India had defeated Pakistan seven times and had won eight times in the 50-over format. Pakistan’s 10-wicket victory against India in Dubai was all the more memorable because of the history of this rivalry.
In reminiscing about the build-up, Mohammad Rizwan disclosed how, months prior to the competition, the team’s mental coach, Ramiz Raja, had discussed the significance of defeating India.
“Before the World Cup match, we had never defeated India. When we gathered, Ramiz Raja told us that we had to defeat India. Rizwan stated at an event in the USA that “there was still a long way to go for the World Cup when he first came in (as PCB president), but he had started developing this thought in the team right from there,” as reported by NDTV.
“He emphasised that as the World Cup drew nearer, the most important thing was to avoid losing to India, whether you were winning the trophy or not. He would put pressure on us after telling us not to succumb to pressure, he continued.
There is always anxiety before an India vs. Pakistan match: Mohammad Rizwan
Rizwan talked about how, prior to the intense match, Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam and former coach Matthew Hayden got together to provide them with some motivation. Massive celebrations broke out across the nation after Pakistan’s victory, with supporters refusing to pay for anything related to Rizwan and his colleagues.
There is pressure whenever India plays Pakistan. Regardless of their nationality, people gather to watch this game, even though they may not watch every match in a tournament. We had Matthew Hayden with us at the time. He asked how we were feeling and wrapped his arms around the captain and me. After all of our hard work, we now put everything in God’s hands, the captain stated to Rizwan.
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“Whether it was participating in a World Cup or such a significant game, it was all new to me. I didn’t feel any different from any previous match, so I was feeling very regular. However, I only realised what we accomplished when we prevailed. If I were to go shopping in Pakistan, no one would take my money. Then, I stopped coming shopping because, instead of robbing us of our money, they were all praising us for our victory against India. I met people who were all praising us for the victory. “I went to someone’s room once, and they had the match on TV. They said they watched it every day,” he remarked in closing.
In the 2024 edition, the two teams are grouped together once more and will play on June 9 at the brand-new Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
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