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Legendary India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin feels that the Indian team haven't played down the hype of their rivalry with Pakistan, but have rather simply stated the truth. This comes after India captain Suryakumar Yadav recently made dismissive comments about their upcoming Super 4 clash against Pakistan and remarked that their job is to give fans a cricket match that is worth watching. Notably, the Men in Blue will be facing their arch-rivals on September 21 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Ashwin further stated that Suryakumar gave such a response due to the fact that the Indian team have been completely dominant in their matches against Pakistan in recent years.
"The Indian team haven't played down (the hype). The Indian team have just spoken the truth as it is. There is nothing more to talk about it. That is just the plain truth," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
"Suryakumar Yadav has just represented what the Indian team's players were feeling. That is their truth, that is their problem and we have nothing to do with that," he added.
Earlier, Suryakumar had shared his take on India's rivalry against Pakistan and had remarked how the team's focus is on playing good cricket. He had also highlighted the side's exceptional form so far in the Asia Cup.
“I don’t know what rivalry you guys are talking about. I just see the packed crowd and tell my team that it’s time to entertain them. If so many people show up, it’s our job to give them good cricket. Aur jab stadium bhara hoa hai, main apne team ko bolta hu ki chalo bhailog, abhi entertainment ka time aa gaya hai. (And when the stadium is full, I tell my team and everyone that it's time for entertainment),” Suryakumar said at the pre-match press-conference.
“We’ve played three games so far and won all three. Every win feels just as good as the last. For us, every game is a new challenge. We win, we learn, and we take those lessons into the next match,” he added.
India's dominant display so far in Asia Cup
Meanwhile, India entered the Super 4 stage after winning all of their three group stage matches. The Men in Blue started their campaign with a comprehensive 9-wicket victory over UAE before winning their clash against Pakistan by 7 wickets. They then went on to win their final group stage fixture against Oman by 21 runs, topping Group A with 6 points.
On the other hand, Pakistan may have won their matches against Oman and UAE to qualify for Super 4, but their performances haven't been that convincing. Their batting has especially been underwhelming with opener Saim Ayub in particular going through a horrific run of form. The opener is yet to score a run in the tournament and has gotten dismissed for ducks on all three occasions so far.
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