‘We are ahead 7-0, Pakistan have burden’: Sehwag starts mind games before World Cup match

The ICC finally unwrapped the schedule for the World Cup 2023 in India, which will start on October 5, 2023. The official announcement came with some of the biggest matches of the tournament, as the first match of the World Cup will be between England and New Zealand. However, most people are waiting for one of the biggest rivalries in cricket between India and Pakistan on October 15 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, which has a seating capacity of 1,30,000 and is expected to have a record attendance for this most awaited match of the tournament.

3 things you need to know 

• India will face their opener against Australia in the ICC ODI World Cup on 5th October
• England will enter ODI World Cup 2023 as defending champions
• The first ODI World Cup was played in the year 1975

IND vs PAK is one of the biggest matches in the cricket world, and with less than 4 months until the tournament starts, former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has made a huge statement on the match. India is yet to lose a 50-over World Cup match to their arch-rivals, having won seven out of seven games, but Pakistan's rise in recent years has levelled the playing field. As a result, while Sehwag anticipates an even encounter, his game-changing approach to the India-Pakistan World Cup match has made things extremely fascinating.

Also Read: PCB's Demand For ODI WC Squashed By ICC, India Will Play Pakistan At Narendra Modi Stadium

What did Virendra Sehwag say about India vs Pakistan match?

April 2
12 years ago , the moment of a lifetime, the time of our lives, what we played for bore fruit. #WorldCup winners - Team India. pic.twitter.com/pWY2pww0XO

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) April 2, 2023

"Everybody knows that all the focus is going to be on the India vs Pakistan match. I am ready to have a battle with Shoaib Akhtar during that game... on social media. The record says that India hasn't lost a World Cup game to Pakistan. We are ahead 7-0, out of which we have chased just once. Otherwise, each time India has batted first and put up a match-winning total. I'm not sure what will happen that day (October 15), but the team that handles pressure well will win," Sehwag stated on the sidelines of the World Cup event in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Sehwag believes that the focus of the tournament will be on the clash between IND vs PAK in the ICC ODI World Cup, and winging his excitement, he is ready for a debate with the former Pakistani fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar, during the match.   According to the head-t0–head-records the batter stated that India has not lost a one-day World Cup match to Pakistan and is leading with 7-0 but the former star said that the team that will handle the pressure well will win the game.

Also Read: Ashes 2023: England Announce Playing XI For The Second Test, Star Allrounder Dropped

Virender Sehwag feels that India handles pressure well in games, which is why they have won so many games, but Pakistan would have a bag to carry after their prior losses to India. He feels that the Pakistan squad of the 1990s was excellent at handling pressure, but that the Indian team improved after 2000. He added that India against Pakistan is an emotional game, and players claiming that they don't feel any pressure are incorrect, according to Sehwag, who also expressed the same during his playing career, and he stated that the emotions of the squad run high in this match.