India have not made any special preparations for Pakistan beyond their usual match routines, but remain mindful of the emotions surrounding the high-voltage
clash. The assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate underlined this point ahead of Sunday’s Asia Cup encounter in Delhi.
India started their continental campaign in dominant fashion, chasing down a modest target of 58 runs against the UAE in just 4.3 overs, a win that boosted their net run-rate (NRR) significantly. Pakistan, meanwhile, opened their account with an emphatic 93-run victory over Oman on September 12. With both teams unbeaten so far, the stage is set for an electrifying contest when the arch-rivals meet in the group stage.
"It's a very sensitive issue and I've got no doubt the players share the compassion and feeling of the vast majority of the Indian public. The Asia Cup was in limbo for a long period of time and we were just waiting. We didn't think we were going to be coming at one stage,” said ten Doeschate.
"You know what the Indian government's stance is and now the team and particularly the players, you have to put those sentiments and the emotions behind. That's something we addressed in the team meeting today. We're aware of people's feelings, at the same time we've got to go out, and the guys get a chance to play for their country, and they'll be as professional and focused as they can be given the circumstances,” he added.
Explaining the team’s approach, ten Doeschate shared head coach Gautam Gambhir’s message of staying focused on the task at hand. He further admitted that the management saw no need to shield players from the external chatter, trusting them to handle the noise surrounding the high-profile clash.
"The waiting period of knowing whether this [Asia Cup] was going to happen was the most frustrating part. Once we knew we were going to be here, and playing, we tried to get on with the business of it. This game, particularly, we haven't prepared differently, like I said, but we are obviously aware of the sentiments and strong feelings,” said ten Doeschate.
"Gauti's message has been sort of very professional about not worrying about things that are not in our control and being emotionless when approaching the cricket side of things. The guys are professional enough, I am sure. Individuals have different levels of feeling on the spectrum of where they feel the whole situation [geopolitical tensions] is, but the messaging has been to focus on cricket, and try to focus on the one game tomorrow,” he added.
Ten Doeschate explained that India’s processes remain similar to any other game, while acknowledging the need to stay mindful of Pakistan’s approach as a young side eager to play in a new direction.
"I'll be honest, no. I was expecting a lot more niggle at the Champions Trophy game. I didn't really feel that either. Certainly, the preparation and focus this week haven't been any different to our preparation for any other important game,” the assistant coach said.
"Pakistan have started to come to terms with how they want to play T20 cricket, so it's going to be a slightly different challenge from maybe the last 24 months. But we want to focus on what we're doing and how we want to play is the most important thing for us, given we have the potential of playing Pakistan a couple of times in this tournament, and obviously in the next six months as well, there's going to be a World Cup. Again, it goes back to what we said about controlling those emotions, and we want to prepare for every single game in the same manner,” he concluded.
