Ahead of the clash versus Pakistan, captain Virat Kohli had insisted that the contest was just another game and “all the noise outside” hardly mattered to him and his teammates.
However, after getting a hammering from Babar Azam and his men in Dubai on Sunday, Kohli clarified that his team hadn’t underestimated Pakistan or taken them lightly at all.
“No matter what people say on the outside, only we know the pressure when we go out there in the middle donning the India jersey.
“We respect every game and we know that cricket is beyond everyone.
“We don’t take any team lightly and neither do we differentiate between opponents,” the skipper said at the post-match media conference.
India’s final XI for this game again came under the scanner, particularly as newcomer Varun Chakravarthy was preferred over the experienced Ravichandran Ashwin.
Virat Kohli with Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan after a 10-wicket loss for India in their opening T20 World Cup match in Dubai on Sunday. Getty Images
Kohli didn’t wish to read much into whether this was the ideal XI for India.
“We could make the argument of getting in another slower bowler, but it’s important to stay composed and understand our strengths, because with the dew, the slower bowlers couldn’t be effective either,” he reasoned.
“Besides, we’re certainly not a team that presses the panic button as it’s just the start of the tournament, not the end.”
The current situation demands India to come back strongly while they also have to deal with the uncertainty over Hardik Pandya, who underwent scans after hurting his right shoulder while batting. Maybe not panic, but there’s a lot to worry for sure.