Indian T20 captain Rohit Sharma has openly admitted that the current Pakistani team is “a very challenging one” and he is ready to take this challenge.
Ahead of the Pakistan vs India Super 12 T20 World Cup match in Melbourne on Sunday (tomorrow), Rohit Sharma captain added that they are looking forward to starting their tournament by performing well against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
In a pre-match press conference in Melbourne on Saturday, the Indian captain said: "I do not want to use this word pressure, but it is constant. It is not going to change ever. I would like to take this as challenge. This Pakistani team is a very challenging team, all the Pakistan teams I have played against from 2007 to 2022, they have been a good team. It is just that, I believe on that particular day, kind of thing. On that particular day, if you are good enough, you will beat any opposition. And on the day if you are good, you will take the win and go home. Pakistan have been good in the last World Cup, they beat us."

Rohit Sharma reacts to rain threat

In this year's Asia Cup, Pakistan and India played twice with one going India's way and another one Pakistan's. Sunday's World Cup match will be the third T20I between the arch-rivals in 2022. There is, however, a rain threat looming large over the much-anticipated clash.

"In hindsight, if you look at it, toss becomes a little important when there is a rain threat. But again, I have been hearing about the Melbourne weather for a while now, it keeps changing. You do not know what is going to happen tomorrow, what is in our control, we will try to look after that. We need to come here thinking it will be a 40-over game, if the situation demands, if it is a shorter game, we will be ready for it. The players know how to manage themselves if the game is reduced, 10 overs each or five overs each. Luckily, we played a game in India where it was an 8-over game," said Rohit.

Reaction on PCB-BCCI tussle

In his first reaction to the ongoing BCCI vs PCB debate over hosting the Asia Cup in 2023, Rohit Sharma quite expectedly said they are currently focussed on the job at hand, which is the T20 World Cup in Australia. He also added that they are looking forward to starting their tournament by performing well against Pakistan on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

There were strong reactions from the Pakistan cricket fraternity including asking the PCB to withdraw from the T20 World Cup match against India after BCCI secretary and Asian Cricket Council president Jay Shah announced that India won't be travelling to Pakistan for next year's Asia Cup and that the tournament will be held in a neutral venue.

PCB came up with a sharp response, saying Shah's comment can damage the cricketing ties between Pakistan and India and if the latter does indeed decide not to travel to Pakistan then they will also contemplate withdrawing from the ODI World Cup slated to take place in the later half of 2023 in India.

Amid all this, Rohit Sharma was asked about the ongoing situation ahead of the India vs Pakistan Super 12 T20 World Cup match and the Indian captain said the respective boards will take the call.

"My take is let's focus on this World Cup, because it is important for us. We are not worried about what's going to happen later. There is no point thinking about it, the BCCI will make decisions on that. We are just thinking about being focused on tomorrow's game," Rohit said.

Reacting to PCB mulling a possible pullout from next year's ODI World Cup in India, Indian Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Anurag Thakur confirmed that there are no threats to India's hosting rights and they are not in a position to listen to anyone.

Pakistan and India have not played a bilateral series for close to a decade now. The last time they played one was back in 2012-13 when Pakistan toured India for three ODIs. Since then, the two sides have only met in ICC tournaments and Asia Cups.