India’s 2011 World Cup-winning cricketer Gautam Gambhir has hoped that Rohit Sharma and co. focus on other teams as well in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 tournament and the build-up for the event is not just India vs. Pakistan.
The mega blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan will happen on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Before that India will play Australia on October 8 and Afghanistan on October 11.
Gambhir said that the match against Pakistan was “just a step” and not the tournament as whole.
“England had the last laugh. You go into that tournament not thinking that we have only got to beat Pakistan. And I hope that doesn’t happen in the 50-over World Cup in India as well. I hope it’s not only about India and Pakistan on October 14.
I hope it’s about India playing the World Cup final and lifting the Cup because you never know how many people will be part of the next World Cup from this World Cup team. And it only happens after 4 years,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.
“For us as a nation, for us as fans, for us as broadcasters, everything should not only be focused on India and Pakistan. It’s all about winning the World Cup. Pakistan is just a block. It’s just a step toward winning the World Cup,” he stated.
He said that when India played in the 2007 T20 World Cup, though India played Pakistan twice including in the final, it was never about the Men in Green and the same thing was there in the 2011 World Cup.
“In 2007, the T20 World Cup, we started our campaign against Pakistan, we played the final against Pakistan. It was never about Pakistan only. Even in 2011, it was never about Pakistan, Pakistan was just a step. So, when as a broadcaster, as experts, if we stop talking about only India vs. Pakistan and think about winning the World Cup, I think Team India will be in a much better position,” Gambhir added.
India last won an ICC trophy way back in 2013 when MS Dhoni led them to glory in the Champions Trophy on English soil. Since then, the Men in Blue have qualified for the knockout stages of other ICC events including two ODI World Cups, but faltered in crunch matches.
