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.

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.”

“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.

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.