'We respect them as a team and so do they' - R Ashwin on Ramiz Raja's 'India have started to respect Pakistan' remark

India won their practice game against West Australian XI by a decent margin on October 10. Suryakumar Yadav continued his good form with the bat as he scored a half-century. The skipper Rohit Sharma could not get going and was dismissed early in the innings. 

India are slated to play a few warm-up games before starting their 2022 T20 World Cup campaign against the arch-rivals Pakistan. Both teams won one match each in the last concluded Asia Cup and both sides will be looking to come up on top at the mega event. 

This rivalry is big and means a lot to people from both nations: Ravichandran Ashwin on India vs Pakistan

"It is a game of cricket. We do not play them (Pakistan) a lot. This rivalry is big and means a lot to people from both nations. But wins and losses are part of the game. Especially in this format, margins are going to be close. We respect Pakistan as a team and so do they," said Ashwin in a press conference after India's practice match against Western Australia.

Ashwin also emphasized the fact that a team needs to be sure about the conditions before they play the first game. He also said that the game against Western Australia was a good one.

"By the time the first game of the tournament comes, you have to be completely sure about the conditions," he added.

Meanwhile, Indian pacers were on top in the warm-up game as the veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh bamboozled the opposition's batting line-up. India was also decent with the bat, but a question was asked about Kohli's absence from the practice game. Ashwin, known for his witty remarks, said that he needs to be the head coach of the Indian team to answer why Kohli was absent from the game.

"I wish I could walk into Rahul Dravid's shoes one day and answer that question, but as of now, your guess is as good as mine."