Asia Cup 2023: "World Cup Jeete Ya Nahi Lekin Pakistan Ke Against Jeetna Hai" - Shikhar Dhawan On IND-PAK Rivalry

Senior Indian batter Shikhar Dhawan talked about playing against Pakistan and the India-Pakistan rivalry. He said that winning against the arch-rivals is necessary and there’s a different type of excitement when one plays against them. 

India vs Pakistan arguably is one of the biggest rivalries in the cricketing World. The two teams don’t play against each other in the bilateral arrangements due to political tensions and therefore their game in the Asia Cup as well as the World Cup gets even bigger. 

India have had an upper hand over Pakistan in the World Cups and Asia Cups but in the last 3-4 years there has been equal competition as the games have gone down the wire and there have been thrilling finishes. In the last Asia Cup, which was played in a 20-over format, both of them met two times and registered one win each. 

In ICC tournaments, Pakistan emerged victorious in the 2017 Champions Trophy Final and 2021 T20 World Cup whereas India thumped them in the 2019 World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup. The two teams will be up against each other in the Asia Cup 2023, which will be played from 30th August. 

They will play on 2nd September at Kandy and there are high chances that they will meet in super 4s as well. If they perform well in the knockout stage, we might see them playing in the final as well. India and Pakistan are also slated to lock horns with each other in the World Cup at the Narendra Modi International Stadium. 

Shikhar Dhawan, who has been part of some of the famous wins of India against Pakistan, said that winning the game against Pakistan is as important as winning the World Cup and he’s confident that his side will win both things. Speaking to Star Sports, he explained: 

“It has always been the case of ‘Whether or not you win the World Cup, don’t lose to Pakistan’ (laughs). But winning the World Cup is also important and by god’s grace hopefully we will. There’s definitely excitement (while playing Pakistan) but also a lot of pressure. There’s definitely a satisfying feeling playing against them when the match ends. Whenever I have played Pakistan, we have won mostly. The intensity on the field is also high, but there’s also some light chat with them.”

Witness the passion and intensity of mother of all rivalries, India vs Pakistan through the eyes of @SDhawan25 and look what he has to say! ?#AsiaCupOnStar#Cricket pic.twitter.com/wWC1tSIcZJ

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 7, 2023

Asia Cup 2023: Salman Butt wants India to include Shikhar Dhawan for the World Cup 

Salman Butt shared his verdict about the Indian combination for the World Cup. He urged them to include Ajinkya Rahane in the middle order and also feels that Shikhar Dhawan should also be in the team as they need experience. He elaborated: 

“The way Rahane played in IPL and the way he came back in Tests, he is a possible option. And they will need Shikhar Dhawan. I don’t see any of the top-order batters, among right-handers, who can open as good as him. Either Shikhar and Shubman (Gill) can open and Rohit comes one down, or Rohit can open with Shikhar. They need experience in World Cup. They also need a guy in at no.5/6, either it’s Rahul or Rahane. When there’s pressure, the youngsters stutter. You need experience, the pressure gets to you.” 

Shikhar Dhawan was dropped from the due to his poor form in the ODIs. He last played for the team in December 2022. In his place, Shubman Gill has played some sensational knocks and has locked his spot in the team.