The excitement among fans for the upcoming T20 World Cup is gathering speed with every passing day as just over two weeks remain before the multi-national competition gets underway in Australia. The tournament is scheduled to begin on October 16 with Team India slated to start their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on October 23. The two teams will square off against each other for the fourth time in a span of a year.
Pakistan trounced India by 10 wickets in the T20 World Cup match last year in UAE while both teams registered a win against each other in the Asia Cup 2022. The Men in Blue will be desperate to exact revenge after suffering an awful defeat against the Men in Green last year and also for their loss in Asia Cup this year.
Reflecting on Men in Green's recent success against India in the shortest format of the game, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja came up with a bold take claiming that the Men in Blue have finally started respecting their arch-rivals in cricket.
"These games are more about mentality, rather than skill and talent. Even small teams can beat big teams if they have the temperament of not giving up. Pakistan have always been the underdogs heading into (World Cup) games against India. But, they have started to give us respect, of late. Earlier, they thought that Pakistan can't beat them," the PCB chief told Dawn News.
"So we should give credit to this current Pakistan team. We defeated a billion-dollar cricket industry. I have played in World Cups but we never won against India. This team should be appreciated. Despite limited resources, we are giving them a tough fight," he added.
