3 months ago
1
Pakistan batter Sahibzada Farhan has played down the hype surrounding Sunday's T20 World Cup clash against bitter foes India, calling it a "normal match" though the mindset of his squad volition beryllium "different" from erstwhile games.
Pakistan beryllium atop Group A with back-to-back wins implicit the Netherlands and the USA. Even though the triumph against the Dutch squad was a constrictive one, Pakistan looked rather assured successful their 32-run triumph implicit the Americans connected Tuesday (February 10, 2026) successful which Farhan smashed a 41-ball 73 to beryllium deservedly adjudged the subordinate of the match.
During the post-match media briefing, the opener fielded queries connected the crippled against India that is yet connected aft his authorities withdrew its boycott call.
‘Normal match’
"See, erstwhile you triumph 2 matches and are astatine the apical of the table, you consciousness confident. The upcoming lucifer is not specified a large deal, we're not playing against them for the archetypal time," helium responded erstwhile asked astir team's mindset.
"We've played earlier and this clip we'll play with a antithetic mindset. You've seen us...You indispensable person seen that Shadab (Khan) is making runs, (Mohammad) Nawaz is scoring runs. So hopefully you volition bask our crippled against them," helium said.
"It's a mean match. We'll play similar a mean match. We won't enactment it successful our caput that this is an India-Pakistan match, it is simply a mean lucifer and we volition play it similar a mean match," helium added.
Disagrees with Suryakumar connected one-sided matchup
The India-Pakistan tensions, which peeked aft the gruesome Pahalgam panic onslaught successful 2025, person spilled connected to the cricket tract arsenic well. The 2 sides played retired tense games during the Asia Cup, each of them won by India, including the final.
India T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav had stated that fixed his team's dominance successful caller years, helium nary longer considers the rivalry against Pakistan an evenly-matched one.
Farhan disagreed with that assessment.
"No, I deliberation the mode we played successful the past Asia Cup, we didn't play one-sided. We played and fought till the end. We didn't play a one-sided lucifer till past and hopefully this clip we'll play a fantastic game," helium asserted.
On whether helium has immoderate circumstantial plans successful spot to tackle India gait spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Farhan said, "I deliberation erstwhile you marque runs you are confident. I americium besides precise assured and the mode the past 2 innings person gone, I'm precise confident."
