India will face Pakistan in the opening match in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia
In the previous edition of the T20 World Cup in UAE, Pakistan defeated India for the first time in World Cup history, and that too by 10 wickets. Pakistan also defeated India recently in the Asia Cup 2022 in the Super 4s stage and also knocked them out of the race for finals, by beating Afghanistan in their next game.
Former India keeper Parthiv Patel feels that Pakistan's recent success, particularly in the 2021 T20 World Cup match, gives Rohit Sharma's side a different kind of challenge.
“It is extremely necessary to begin a match on a high. These are not long tournaments. In the 50-over World Cup, there is still time to make up for one defeat,” Parthiv mentioned on Cricbuzz.
Pakistan announces squads for the T20 World Cup 2022 and England T20Is
“But in the T20 World Cup you lose one and you start doubting your whole method and everything comes into play. The chances of coming back in the tournament become very less. We talk about teams coming back in the IPL and that is because they are playing about 14 games. Here we have to beat at least one of Pakistan or South Africa.
It is the same for Pakistan as well. They will come out with a different mindset. They were not expecting to beat India by 10 wickets in the last T20 World Cup, but they did. And now, that they have beaten India once in the Asia Cup as well, they would be thinking differently. They would be thinking that they can beat this side.
Before that, they had no chance of beating India in World Cup games for a long time. So that will be a different challenge for India,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan will host England in a series of 7 T20Is at home and play a tri-series in New Zealand before the T20 World Cup 2022.