Ishan Kishan reacted after India set up an Asian Games gold medal match against Pakistan. Kishan said, “They are a spinner-friendly team.” India reached the final after beating Sri Lanka by over 100 runs. The team now prepares for the big summit clash scheduled for Saturday, October 3 in China.
The left-handed batter played an unbeaten knock of 80, and his knock on a tricky pitch led to India posting 169/7 in 20 overs. Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Abhishek Sharma then took two wickets each as Sri Lanka folded up for 45 inside 10 overs, losing the contest by more than 100 runs.
India and Pakistan have played each other just once in men's cricket this year, with the Men in Blue coming out on top in the Men's T20 World Cup. Since then, Pakistan have undergone several changes to their squad. In the Asian Games, the team is being led by Farhan, and there's no presence of Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf.
"Just keeping it simple, you don't think so much. We played today, and we know the conditions are not going to be so easy. Especially, they are also a spinner-friendly team,” Kishan told reporters in the post-match press conference.
“At the same time, you know, you just don't think about what's going to happen after two days. You just keep calm, you play your shots, you be in the moment and just enjoy those crunch moments,” he added.
The prospect of winning a medal has given Kishan even more motivation, and he cannot wait to get going in the summit clash on Saturday, October 3.
“I was thinking about this, and it does make a difference in your heart, at least, you know, when you're playing for India, especially when it's about the medal. And it's not just about being related to BCCI,” said Kishan.
“It's always about India here. There are so many flags going around and so many people cheering for you. So you get that feeling inside, though you don't show it. But yeah, I think you get that feeling like this is a different kind of thing, even if we have a very good side and we have those bowlers, we have those batters. But still, I feel there's a bit more pressure here, to be very honest,” he added.
The match between India and Pakistan will once again put the spotlight on the relations between the two countries. The players have not been shaking hands with each other since the Asia Cup last year, and it remains to be seen whether the status quo is maintained on Saturday.