Indo-Pak rivalry is bigger than the Ashes - Ravichandran Ashwin

The India-Pakistan rivalry will take centre stage yet again, when the two sides meet in Kolkata tomorrow. Speaking on the ferocity of the occasion and the magnitude of one of the cricket’s greatest rivalries, Ashwin didn’t mince words. “This rivalry is huge, it's probably bigger than the ashes is. Fans don’t watch it as a game of cricket, it’s more of a border rivalry. They want to get one up on each other. So there is much more to it,” said Ashwin.

The emotions don’t stay far away in a match as big as this but, Ashwin said that the team was more or less insulated to the fan pressure.

“People put their emotions into the game. For players, it’s trying and keeping emotions aside and playing the game the best way we can,” the 29-year old added.

When asked about the additional pressure of facing Pakistan in a World Cup, the second-ranked bowler in T20 rankings said, “I don’t think we really see a lot of pressure in this game. We’re used to playing a lot of India-Pakistan games and every game that India plays is a pressure game. We are pretty much used to it, it’s not about the pressure. I think we should be able to handle it.”

Having lost the first game to the Kiwis, India must win every remaining game to have the best chance to qualify. Ashwin was well aware of the daunting task India face.

“More than who we are playing, it’s a T20 World Cup. We have almost put ourselves in a position where we have to win every game from here. So I think that’s more important,” added the off-spinner.

For a change, the Indian spinners were “out-spun” in the last game against New Zealand and the poor showing was questioned here as well.

“We have been doing a fabulous job over the last 3-4 months, from that perspective, it was a bad day. We can’t really judge on that. Santner, Sodhi and McCullum bowled brilliantly and we contributed to their success a fair bit,” said Ashwin

On being asked if Pakistan hold an edge having won their first game unlike India, Ashwin said, “I don’t think anybody has an edge, we start 50-50. Pakistan played wonderfully against Bangladesh and they are supposed to be upbeat. If we can raise up and play to our potential, we can try and win the game.”

Major clashes like these become massive psychological battles and Ashwin was well aware of the same. “Cricket is a psychological game more than we assume. You have to come out and beat the psychological odds,” he concluded.