We are three days away from the epic and marquee clash of the World Cup 2023 group stage round: India vs Pakistan. PAK wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan believes that his team has momentum on their side because of their twin wins at the start of the tournament.
Pakistan left Hyderabad with 2 wins in 2 games: after an 81-run victory over the Netherlands, Babar Azam’s side defeated Sri Lanka by 6 wickets.
Mohammad Rizwan played the biggest role in Pakistan’s win over Sri Lanka, scoring 131* runs in 121 balls with the help of 8 fours and 3 sixes as Pakistan chased down the target of 345 runs.
In the post-match press conference, Rizwan was asked about the IND vs PAK game on October 14 in Ahmedabad. Rizwan reckoned Pakistan have the momentum on their side and this victory over Sri Lanka – in which they recorded the highest successful chase in World Cup history – have given them loads of confidence.
“Our next match is against India and this will give us confidence and we will go with the same plan,” Rizwan said. “We now have momentum. Tomorrow, our next match, everyone knows that it is with India, but they will also come with a plan, we will also come with a plan.”
Playing in Hyderabad felt like playing a match in Pindi: Mohammad Rizwan
During Pakistan’s chase, there were chants of “Jeetega Pakistan jeetega” from the Hyderabad crowd. Mohammad Rizwan said that it seemed as if they were playing in Rawalpindi.
“And where you talked about Hyderabad, I felt like I was playing a match in Pindi. The way the crowd gave love today, and not just me, the whole Pakistan team gave love. In fact, they supported Sri Lanka too. Because I am happy that the crowd in Hyderabad has supported cricket, both Sri Lanka and us. I had a lot of fun with them,” Rizwan added.
“Hospitality, you all must have seen it. Someone must have taken pictures when we came to the airport. I said earlier that I felt like I was playing in front of crowd of Rawalpindi. Our ground in Lahore is big, a lot of people come there but today it seems that Pakistan’s match is taking place in Rawalpindi.”
