Dubai: On the eve of India-Pakistan match in the World Cup, Inzamam-ul-Haq, the chief selector of Pakistan, on Saturday said that the match between these two sides in the World Cup is a 'final' before a final.
"Whenever India and Pakistan take on each other in the World Cup, it's a final before a final. People are always excited about this match. The stadium has a capacity of 24,000 but 8 lakh people applied for the tickets of this match. So it gives you an idea of how big this match is," said Inzamam
Pakistan has never been able to defeat India in World Cup matches but Inzamam said past performances do not matter when these two sides take the field. It will all come down to how the team plays on the match day, he said.
"In India-Pakistan matches, past performances do not matter and it all depends on who is better on the match day. I hope Pakistan will come out triumphant and I hope people get to enjoy a good quality game of cricket. Pakistan has won just one match in the tournament so far. I hope the fortunes change for the team," Inzamam said.
"Everything has to happen once. Pakistan has never defeated India in World Cup, so the pressure will definitely be there on Pakistan. It'a big match, the pressure will always be there. If you perform well in this match, it gives you high satisfaction. I urge people to treat this match just as a match," he added. Inzamam labelled India's skipper Virat Kohli as one of the greatest players and called the Indian team as a pretty balanced side.
