The ICC will officially unveil the schedule for the World Cup on October 1 in Cape Town.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that the team's primary focus at the 2027 ODI World Cup should be winning the tournament rather than hyping a potential fixture against Pakistan.
Speaking to Star Sports after India's series-clinching 8-wicket victory over the West Indies in the second ODI in Guwahati on September 30, Gambhir emphasized that Pakistan should be treated as any other opponent during the showpiece tournament in South Africa.
The ICC will officially unveil the schedule for the World Cup on October 1 in Cape Town. The 14-team marquee event, set to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, will kick off on October 2, 2027, and conclude with the final on November 21, 2027.
The India-Pakistan fixture is expected to draw attention, but Gambhir downplayed the outside noise and hype surrounding the rivalry.
"I have no preference. I think our job isn't just to play against Pakistan; our job is to go there, compete, and try to win the World Cup," Gambhir said.
"I've said this before: Pakistan is just another team we have to play. Ultimately, when you go to South Africa, the goal is to perform well and win the tournament, rather than focusing solely on beating Pakistan."
Gambhir noted that media, broadcasters, and fans will always focus heavily on the India-Pakistan rivalry, but the team management wants to keep the dressing room calm, simple, and relaxed.
"I know broadcasters, emotions, and the public will keep talking about it, but in the dressing room, we try to keep things as simple and calm as possible," he stated.
For Gambhir, the ultimate goal is preparing the squad to win the entire global tournament rather than over-hyping a single fixture.
Speaking on the same line, the coach said India had less time than it might appear to finalize their combinations for the quadrennial event.
"...you said that there is one year, but in that one year, three months will go into the IPL, three months will go into the India-Australia series," he said. "So after this series, we have barely 20 ODIs, and 20 ODIs aren't really that many ODIs, which includes three against Sri Lanka, three against Zimbabwe. I believe there isn't much time. So whatever we plan, whatever options we prepare, we will have to do it as quickly as possible.
"So before that, whatever our options are after the IPL, whatever squad is ready in our probably bigger, broader picture, we will only play them after the IPL. So right now is the time for us to try different options. Just like Auqib got an opportunity today, we will similarly try, at least until the Zimbabwe series, to give other people an opportunity and see what they can offer us in this format."
India chose to hand debut ODI cap to Auqib Nabi in Guwahati, with Gambhir explaining that throwing young bowlers straight into high-stakes situations replicates the unique, high-pressure environment of a World Cup.
He further emphasized that dead-rubber matches lack that essential pressure, whereas experimental exposure in live series games is crucial for building a resilient squad for the quadrennial event.
"We could have given Auqib a chance in the next match too when it's a dead rubber, but in a dead rubber, you don't have that pressure which comes with the pressure of winning a series. And we all know that the World Cup is all about pressure. Cricket isn't going to change like that, only the pressure will be different because the World Cup comes once in four years, so we want to put bowlers under pressure.
"For example, Gurnoor [Brar]. Having Gurnoor bowl in the first 10 overs, bowling at the death, I know people will talk about his analysis, but the more he bowls in tough conditions, in tough situations, the better it is for Indian cricket. Because you can have him bowl in the middle overs and get good analysis or good stats for him, make him bowl defensively, but the more we expose them at such times, the better it is for Indian cricket," Gambhir remarked.