T20 World Cup: 'Important to play Pakistan in early stages,' says Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir highlights the importance of clashing with Pakistan in the initial stages of the tournament, while Darren Sammy feels every team will have to go through India if they want to progress in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir is excited about the high-profile clash between India and Pakistan at the upcoming T20 World Cup in October.

The Men in Blue will face Pakistan on October 24 in the tournament which will see Australia take on South Africa in the first match.

Former Team India batsman Gautam Gambhir highlighted the importance of clashing with Pakistan in the initial stages of the tournament, "In 2007 as well, when we went out to win the World Cup, our first game was against Scotland, which was washed out, but then practically, our first game was against Pakistan. And that is exactly what I mentioned it is important to play Pakistan in the early stages of the tournament, because what happens is – you don’t want to keep thinking about Pakistan, you can finish it off initially and concentrate on the entire tournament, and it is exactly the same for the fans and the country as well. Irrespective of what the result is, I am really happy for both the countries that they are going to play against each other in the initial stages."

Speaking exclusively on Star Sports' Show Game Plan, former West Indies captain Darren Sammy feels every team will have to go through India if they want to progress in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, "India is the team to beat. We have heard Dinesh Karthik talk about it – the experience, their T20 players come into the international cricket with, whether it is from India’s domestic T20 cricket or the IPL, you see all the countries go there and get the experience. Apart from the World Cup, I think this is, if not, the most pressure situation (tournament), where the players will be under and India has that formula. In 2016, when we left our homes, me, the coach and all the guys said – in order to win this tournament, you will have to go through India. Whatever stage it is, you will have to go through India, whether it is the final, the semi-final. Yes, it (the tournament) has shifted to the UAE, but don’t forget, before that, all the Indian players would have completed the IPL and got used to these conditions. It is not surprising to me that the Indian cricket board chose this place, at this time, to complete the IPL and it will also benefit the other teams. But you will have to go through India in any tournament. As you have seen in the last few ICC tournaments, whether it is the Test Championship or ODI, you will have to go through India in order to win."

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