'We can't get too emotional': Hardik Pandya on India's upcoming clash against Pakistan

The much anticipated clash in the Asia Cup between India and Pakistan will take place on September 2. On the eve of the grand fixture, the entire Indian team arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday. The onus will be on Rohit Sharma and Co. to lead the Men in Blue to the continental championship which could be regarded as the perfect preparation for the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup.
India's recent performance in the white ball format hasn't been that satisfactory as their struggle against the likes of Australia and West Indies was pretty evident.

3 things you need to know

• India will face pakistan on 2nd September, 2023
• India will be playing all of their Asia Cup matches in Sri Lanka
• India will also be facing their archrivals on 14th October in the ICC World Cup

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Hardik Pandya underlines the importance of an INDO-PAK clash

During an interaction with Star Sports he said, "A lot of emotions are attached by fans. For us, it is about playing a good team, playing a match against a very good side who has done very well in the recent past. Couple of finals they’ve played and the tension between us is always there.

"So for me, we try to keep the outside noise outside, and we focus on how we can play good cricket. At the end of the day, we are cricketers. We can’t get too emotional about it because then certain decisions can be reckless, which I don’t believe in. But, at the same point of time, it’s a mega event. It’s an event which I’ve seen how it checks your character, checks your personality, and at the same point in time, you can see in how deep waters you can swim. So for me, all these factors excite me a lot and yeah, I can’t wait."

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India to face Pakistan in the Asia Cup

An IND-PAK clash is estimated to be a big-ticket encounter and the Indian team cannot afford to lose their sight as the ICC World Cup is also knocking on the door. The likes of Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja are likely to be given much bigger roles and only a perfect execution by them would provide a perfect stage for the Asian giants. India's clash against their archrival has always been full of emotions and there has been a lot of adrenaline rush in the matches. But vice captain Hardik Pandya admitted they can't be driven by emotions.