Multan
\nIndia captain Rohit Sharma played down hype around Saturday\u2019s Asia Cup blockbuster against Pakistan, saying their focus is on using the tournament to fine-tune their preparations for the home World Cup later this year.
\nThe next round of cricket\u2019s most emotionally charged rivalry will take place in Pallekele between the arch-rivals, who play each other only in multi-team events thanks to their soured political relations.
\nThey could face each other up to three times in two weeks during the course of the tournament, including in the Sept. 17 final, and Rohit appeared determined not to get carried away by emotion.
\n\u201cRivalry is there for people to talk about. For us, we don\u2019t want to look into all those things,\u201d the opener deadpanned in the pre-match press conference on Friday.
\n\u201cWhat we, as Team India, want to focus on is we have an opposition to play tomorrow, how we can perform (well)\u2026 rather than looking at all sorts of other things, which eventually is not going to help you.
\n\u201cWhat is going to help us is \u2014 keep doing the right things on the pitch and make the right decisions that take us forward as a team.\u201d
\nThe six-team tournament assumes more importance for India as they chase their first global title in more than a decade at the home World Cup in October-November.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re here to tick a lot of boxes,\u201d said Rohit.
\n\u201cWhen we finish the tournament, hopefully we can achieve that and go into the next one and half months of the World Cup.\u201d
\nThe match could prove a battle between India\u2019s formidable batting and Pakistan\u2019s fiery pace attack led by Shaheen Afridi.
\n\u201cThey are an excellent side, they have performed really well in the last few years \u2014 be it in the T20 World Cup or in the 50-overs format,\u201d Rohit said of Pakistan, currently the top-ranked one-day team in the world.
\n\u201cYou don\u2019t just become the number one side like that, it takes lot of hard work. They have been playing as a unit and it would be a great challenge for us facing them.
\n\u201cWe have prepared well, hopefully we can execute our plans well tomorrow.\u201d
\nYou have to be at your absolute best to face Pakistan: Kohli
\nMeanwhile, Virat Kohli seems to be preparing his team for an intense clash as he is clearly not underestimating the Green Shirts.
\nIn a clip shared by India\u2019s Star Sports channel of Kohli\u2019s interview, titled \u2018Prime Time With Virat Kohli\u2019, the legend termed the upcoming match as an \u201cexciting challenge\u201d and stated: \u201cYou have to be at your absolute best to face them (Pakistan).\u201d
\nTalking about what the Men in Blue expected from their arch-rivals, Kohli said, \u201cIt\u2019s an exciting challenge every time you play Pakistan because they have a lot of talent in their team.\u201d
\nThe cricket star did not miss the chance to praise Pakistan\u2019s bowling team, saying, \u201cThey are a quality team overall but I feel bowling is their strength. They have got some really impactful bowlers that can change the course of the game anytime based on their skill set.\u201d
\nKohli also explained how the one-day international (ODI) format has \u201calways brought the best\u201d out of him.
\n\u201cI like to embrace that challenge and play according to my situation to help my team win, and I\u2019ve always tried to do that,\u201d he added.
\nKohli further said, \u201cI don\u2019t think you can perform consistently without that mindset because if your performance is the only goal, then after a certain period, you can also stop working hard after being satisfied.\u201d
\n\u201cI do not know the definition of excellence,\u201d he stated, adding that it had \u201cno limit and there is no set achievement that you have achieved excellence once you reach that point\u201d.
\nThe cricket superstar said, \u201cI think I try to work towards betterment every day. Performance, of course, becomes a by-product because your mindset is \u2018how I can make my team win here\u2019.\u201d
\nIn another clip from the same interview, shared by Star Sports a day ago, the Indian player said, \u201cWhite ball cricket mindset has always been to be aggressive. It\u2019s important to be aware of what the situation of the game is regardless of how you want to play.
\nKohli also stressed the importance of maintaining composure during lengthy one-day matches.
\n\u201cYou can\u2019t one-dimensional cricket in ODIs for sure, especially in big tournaments, because the pressure is that much more so composure is what wins you games.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Multan India captain Rohit Sharma played down hype around Saturday\u2019s Asia Cup blockbuster against Pakistan, saying their focus is on using the tournament to fine-tune their preparations for the home World Cup later this year. The next round of cricket\u2019s most emotionally charged rivalry will take place in Pallekele between the arch-rivals, who play each […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":353259,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-353227","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n