India vs Pakistan ODI World Cup 2023: Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur made a big statement on the blockbuster clash, said this

Karachi: Pakistan’s crucial clash against arch-rivals India on October 15 in Ahmedabad may be huge from the fans’ point of view on both sides of the border, but from cricket’s point of view it certainly will be a big deal, feels the team director and head coach. The be all and end all’ will not happen. Mickey Arthur.

Arthur understands the hype around this tie but for him it will be like any other game where either one will get two points or lose. “I don’t think the World Cup is dominated by Pakistan and India,” Arthur told Pakistani YouTube channel ‘Cricket Baaz’.

“From a fan’s point of view, from the point of view of sentiments and relations between the two countries, one can understand the interest generated by this and the emotions that come with it. But from a cricketing point of view, I think if you want to win the World Cup, it will be about doing well against all the teams.

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Unplugged Mickey Arthur_I told Sethi I want Babar as the captain can win Pakistan World Cup_No joyride for me pic.twitter.com/epI21hypgb— Waheed Khan (@waheedkhan) 5 July 2023

Arthur’s intention was to ease the pressure and in fact he has started playing mind games saying that the pressure will be on India. He said, ‘Expectations will be very high from the Indian team in the World Cup. They are a good team and how well they do will depend on their ability to handle the pressure that comes with playing at home.

Arthur said he too is looking forward to the match but it remains to be seen how Pakistan handles the pressure. The Australian coach also emphasized that the Pakistan team management did not insist on shifting the match against Afghanistan, which was to be held in Chennai, to Bengaluru.

“Yes, we discussed it but it was just a discussion. It was not that our whole plan was based on not playing Afghanistan in Chennai. Look, any team would want to play Afghanistan at any other venue,” Arthur said.

He admitted that the perception generated by the news that Pakistan had asked for a change of venues against Afghanistan and Australia did not go down well and created a negative feeling about the Pakistan team. Arthur, who has previously coached the Pakistan team between 2016 and 2019, also confirmed that he had told the former PCB chairman that he wanted Babar Azam as the captain.

Asked whether he had taken a stand for Babar when rumors were circulating that former PCB chairman Najam Sethi and some people around him wanted a change of captaincy, Arthur confirmed that he had spoken to Sethi and told That Babur has developed well as a leader.

“Babar is a matter of pride for me. The way he has developed into a world class batsman and matured as a leader. Our whole new philosophy of playing cricket ‘The Pakistani Way’ revolves around Babar. He is in full agreement with me and the rest of the management that this is the way we need to play our cricket now.

Talking about ‘The Pakistani Way’, Arthur said that it is all about playing as a unit and believing in yourself. “It is known to everyone that I and the rest of the management fully support Babar in every decision he takes and everyone is there to monitor each other. And it’s also obviously about leading the way and not backing down on the field. Pakistan have immense talent and on their day can beat any team anywhere,” concluded Arthur.