'The stakes are always high': Ajit Agarkar on India-Pakistan T20 World Cup clash
Ajit Agarkar
Ahead of India vs Pakistan clash in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament, former India all-rounder Ajit Agarkar said that stakes are always high when India and Pakistan play together in a World Cup.
He also said that Pakistan may not pose much of a challenge, taking into consideration the form of the Indian team and statistics. "The stakes are always high when India and Pakistan play together but going by Team India's current form and taking the stats into consideration, I don't think Pakistan will pose that much of a challenge," Agarkar told on 'Class of 2007' show on Star Sports.
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"Having said that, I don't think we should take our neighbours lightly because cricket is a funny game, and things can change at any moment, especially in the T20 format," he further added.
Talking about the 2007 World Cup, which India won after defeating Pakistan by five runs in the final, Agarkar said, "The entire tournament (2007 T20 World Cup) was a dream tour for us. We never thought a bunch of youngsters could achieve such a feat, that too against Pakistan. I think the India-Pakistan rivalry always brings a tidal wave of emotions and is one the most anticipated clashes in the World Cup."
When it comes to India and Pakistan, both the teams have not played a single bilateral series since 2012-13 when Pakistan toured India for a short T20I and ODI series. The last time India faced Pakistan was in the 2019 ODI World Cup when India wonand maintained theunbeaten record in World Cups.
However, ahead of the game, Indian skipper Virat Kohli played down the hype created around the clash. While speaking at the press conference, Kohli said it will just be another cricket game for India against Pakistan on October 24.
"I honestly never felt so," said Kohli when asked if playing against Pakistan is any different for him. "I have just approached this game as another game of cricket and I know there is a lot of hype around this game, more so with ticket sales and demands of tickets," he added.