Our focus should be on competing in the World Cup rather than solely on defeating India: Shadab Khan

The official date for the highly anticipated India-Pakistan World Cup 2023 match has been announced by ICC. As per the schedule, on October 15, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will witness the most awaited clash. India aims to extend their winning streak over Pakistan to 8-0, while Babar Azam and his team will leave no stone unturned to break the streak.

Back in 2021, Although Pakistan managed to break their World Cup jinx against India in Dubai, they are yet to secure their first victory over their arch-rivals in the 50-overs format. Looking back to 1992, every time India and Pakistan have faced off at the ODI World Cup, only team India has emerged victorious, and the contests have often been one-sided.

As we await another thrilling encounter in this historic rivalry, Pakistani all-rounder Shadab Khan has made an intriguing statement regarding the match against India in the World Cup. 

Shadab acknowledged the immense emotions involved in an India-Pakistan match, but he emphasized that defeating India is not going to be his team's sole priority in World Cup. The all-rounder believes that even if Pakistan were to lose against India, emerging as champions of the World Cup would hold far greater significance than simply winning another India-Pakistan encounter.

"Playing against India brings unique joy and pressure, especially on their home ground. However, the focus should be on competing in the World Cup rather than solely on defeating India. Winning against India alone holds no benefit if the ultimate goal of winning the World Cup is not achieved. Shadab believes that even losing to India but winning the World Cup is a win-win situation, as it aligns with their primary objective," Shadab expressed to Cricket Pakistan.

Shadab had previously participated in the India-Pakistan World Cup match during the 2019 edition in England at Manchester. In that game, India, led by remarkable performances from Rohit Sharma (140), Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul (both with half-centuries), posted a challenging total of 336/7. They defended it with ease, limiting Pakistan to 212/6 after the target was revised to 302 from 40 overs due to rain interruptions.

Currently representing Sussex in the T20 Blast, Shadab has showcased his abilities with two match-winning half-centuries. He scored 59 against Middlesex and an unbeaten 87 against Glamorgan.