The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry is one of the most intense in the world, with each match carrying a weight of history and national pride. The stakes are even higher when it comes to the ODI World Cup, where Pakistan are yet to secure a victory against India. However, former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis believes that the current team has the potential to change this narrative.
“The lesser you play against a team, that too against a big team – so whenever you will play them, especially if it is Pakistan and India, the pressure would be immense and tripled,” Younis said while speaking to Cricket Pakistan, reflecting on the high-stakes nature of these encounters.
He acknowledged that during his time the pressure was comparatively lesser due to frequent matches between the two nations.
However, he also admitted that in the World Cup, Pakistan often choked against India.
“But then again, in World Cup, we used to choke against India,” he confessed.
Despite this, Younis expressed optimism about the current team’s ability to handle pressure. “Nonetheless, as I said, players these days are handling the pressure definitely better,” he added.
Younis identified several key players who could be game-changers for Pakistan in their quest for a World Cup victory against India.
“We have match-winners, we have individuals that can win you matches single-handedly, including Babar himself, Shaheen – Fakhar can do wonders, then, of course, we have seen Imam playing great innings,” he said.
He emphasised that Pakistan has all the necessary resources to secure a victory. The challenge now lies in putting these resources together and effectively managing the pressure that comes with such high-stakes matches.
“Pakistan team have handled pressure in a better way in the recent past,” he said, expressing confidence in the team’s ability to rise to the occasion.
India are scheduled to play Pakistan on 15 November at Ahmedabad. However, India Today learnt from sources that the match might be preponed due to clash with the festive season in the Indian subcontinent.
