T20 World Cup: It’s always pressure match against Pakistan, says Bhuvneshwar

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Colombo: A clash between India and Pakistan is always a “high intensity” game but the team is not currently thinking about the T20 World Cup as there is a lot of cricket left before the marquee event, said experienced seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Arch-rivals India and Pakistan were on Friday placed in the same group for the T20 World Cup as the ICC announced the pools for its flagship event, set to be played in the UAE and Oman from October 17 to November 14. “Look, it is always exciting to play against Pakistan and it is always a pressure match, so of course it is going to be, you know, a high intensity match,” Bhuvneshwar, who is currently in Sri Lanka for the limited over series, said at a virtual press conference.

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“But to be honest we haven’t really thought about it, how it is going to be, because we have got a lot of cricket left, we have got matches in Sri Lanka, of course Test matches in England and then IPL and then World Cup.”

“But once of course the IPL gets over, we will start thinking about that (World Cup),” said the 31-year-old Meerut-born pacer.

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir, who has been part of many India-Pakistan games in his career, said senior players such as skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will play a big role in the marquee clash.

“…it is the responsibility of the senior guys to probably keep the younger guys calm because ultimately it’s not the emotion that will win you a game of cricket, it is the contest between the bat and the ball that will end up winning you a game of cricket,” Gambhir said on Star Sports’ show ‘ICC T20 World Cup Special’.

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T20 World Cup: India to face arch-rivals Pakistan in group stage