India and Pakistan are gearing to cross swords for the second time in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022. The two arch-rivals will square in a Super Four stage fixture on September 4 (Sunday) and would look to secure an important win. In their first meeting of the tournament, the Men in Blue rode on Hardik Pandya's all-round brilliance and registered a five-wicket in a nail-biting contest.
The two teams go the distance, they have a chance to square off against each other in the final of the tournament as well, which means three India-Pakistan contests in just two weeks. And apparently, players of both countries are seeing it as a three-match bilateral series.
"Fans from both countries anticipate a third meeting in next week's final. We have jokingly said among ourselves that it's a best of three-match series (between India and Pakistan)," Rizwan said after Pakistan's 155-run win over Hong Kong in Sharjah.
The 30-year-old, who is the number-two ranked batter in ICC T20I rankings, also reiterated the 'pressure' of playing against India.
"Playing India is always a pressure game. Even people outside Asia wait for it. Obviously, it's always like a 'final' as there's so much passion involved in this game," the wicketkeeper-batter added.
"We have to play good cricket and make the final. Obviously, we have to strengthen our cricket and put in the hard work," he continued.
Pakistan have a poor record against India in multi-national events. But the Men in Green registered a dominant 10-wicket win against India in last year's T20 World Cup, the wounds of which are still very much active among Indian fans.
"The pressure will be equally on India and us, but the result will be with whoever remains brave and keeps calm," the 30-year-old added.
"The more you keep the game normal, it is better as it's the best thing to do. I tell players, whether you play India or Hong Kong, at the end of the day you have to play with bat and ball.
“So it's about keeping it simple. Yes, it's a big game and the boys are high on confidence. We will put in the hard work,” he added.
