Hardik Pandya won’t get too “EMOTIONAL” and be reckless while facing Pakistan in Asia Cup

Pandya praised Babar Azam and Company over the cricket they have been playing in recent times.

Hardik Pandya won’t get too “EMOTIONAL” and be reckless while facing Pakistan in Asia Cup

Hardik Pandya (Image via ESPNCricinfo)

The 2023 Asia Cup has started with the first match between Pakistan and Nepal. Though the match was a dull one-sided one, with unsurprisingly Pakistan being supremely dominant over Nepal, what most of the close watchers of the tournament are waiting for is the high-voltage India-Pakistan match. The fierce rivals will take on each other on Saturday (September 2) at the Pallekele Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Ahead of the most-awaited match, India vice-captain Hardik Pandya shed light on how these rare India-Pakistan matches create pressure on players. But at the same time, he accepted not to get too emotional which might hinder clear thinking, leading to a reckless decision.

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“We can’t get too emotional about it because then certain decisions can be reckless, which I don’t believe in,” Pandya said on Star Sports on Follow the Blues show. “It’s an event which checks your character, checks your personality, and at the same point in time, you can see in how deep waters you can swim.”

The 29-year-old spoke about how the team cuts the outside noise to focus on what awaits them- a match against a good team like Pakistan. Pandya praised Babar Azam and Company over the cricket they have been playing in recent times. Notably, after cleanly sweeping Afghanistan before the Asia Cup, Pakistan dethroned Australia and took the top position in the ICC ODI Rankings.

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Hardik Pandya smashed a six to guide India to victory against Pakistan in 2022 Asia Cup

Hardik Pandya won't get too "EMOTIONAL" and be reckless while facing Pakistan in Asia Cup
Hardik Pandya (Image via ESPNCricinfo)

The 2022 Asia Cup between India and Pakistan was a nail-biting one with India sealing the victory by five wickets with just two balls left. Pakistan posted 147 in 19.5 overs.

India’s Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja scored 35 runs each but there was much to do for the next batters. Hardik Pandya stood up for the occasion and smashed the six in the final over to guide India to victory. Before his six off Mohammad Nawaz‘s bowling, that famous ultra-confident “nod” to Dinesh Karthik became the talking point of the town.

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