‘We should stop thinking and concentrating on just India versus Pakistan match because…’ – Shaheen Afridi reflects on much-awaited clash in ODI World Cup 2023

The stage is all set for a grand India vs Pakistan clash in ODI World Cup 2023, which is scheduled to be played on the Indian Soil from October 5, 2023. It is the truth that if one sits down and examines Team India’s statistics against Pakistan in World Cups, it can be evidently seen that India have consistently been the superior team.

The Men in Blue have consistently got the better of their arch-rivals, whether it was in the 1992 edition, which saw the first meeting of the arch-rivals in any World Cup game, or be it the last edition, which was hosted by England in 2019. However, Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has shown some terrific form in the ongoing Vitality Blast, feels that equal importance has to be given to other matches also and the primary focus should be on winning the World Cup and not just winning against India.

“We should stop thinking and concentrating on just India versus Pakistan match because that’s just one game. We need to focus our thoughts on how to win the World Cup, and as a team, this will be our aim,” Afridi was quoted as saying in a report by Cricket Pakistan.

India’s rich history against Pakistan in World Cups

India not only has a strong record in the 50-over World Cup but also in the shorter format. With the exception of a single blip during the UAE-hosted T20 World Cup in 2021, the team has consistently outperformed Pakistan irrespective of the condition where both the teams have played.

While winning and losing is inevitable in sports, Rohit Sharma and the company now have the responsibility of continuing the trend. The marquee match between the two teams is the most anticipated game of the competition because Pakistan too faces great pressure to register their first-ever victory over India in the ODI World Cup as well as at the same time rewrite their heroics of the 1992 World Cup.

Afridi also spoke about his form as well as how is he recovering from the knee injury due to which he also went on to miss a major portion of the Pakistan Super League. The star left-arm pacer said that he was fully fit and that’s why he is back in the Test team. If he hadn’t been fully match fit, then his name would not have come up. The 23-year-old said that he will be playing for Pakistan’s national team, not for a club-level team so he has to recover and maintain terrific fitness.