India and Pakistan players shake hands after the ODI Wold Cup 2023 match in Ahmedabad. (Express Photo by Nirmal Harindran)
With India and Pakistan set to face each other in the upcoming Champions Trophy on February 23, former Pakistan skipper Moin Ali recently said that Pakistan players shouldn’t get too friendly with their Indian counterparts on the field.
“I just don’t get it when I watch Pakistan and India matches these days, as Indian players come into the crease our players check their bats, pat them, have a friendly talk,” he said during a podcast hosted by actor Ushna Shah.
“Our seniors always told us that when playing against India give no quarter and no need to even talk to them on the field. When you get friendly, they see it as a sign of weakness,” he added.
He said if the Pakistan players show too much respect to the Indian players on the field, it would be perceived as a sign of weakness.
“Nowadays, our players’ behaviour when playing against India is unfathomable to me. Even off the field as professionals you have to have certain boundaries,” he said.
“I think our players don’t understand this but being too friendly is seen as a sign of weakness on the field and you automatically come under pressure in your performances,” he added.
Meanwhile, the suspense over whether India captain Rohit Sharma will travel to Pakistan for the opening ceremony and a photo shoot ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy is all but over. The Indian Express understands that because of the logistical challenges involved which sees teams arriving in Pakistan on different dates, there won’t be any opening ceremony, nor will there be any official photoshoot involving captains from the eight participating teams.
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With India not travelling to Pakistan, there were questions as to whether Rohit will travel across the border for a photoshoot that was being planned alongside the opening ceremony. However, it is now understood that no such plans are in place and only a small ceremony is being planned by the hosts ahead of their opening match against New Zealand on February 19 in Karachi.
(With agency inputs)
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