Suryakumar | Pakistan

India captain Suryakumar Yadav admitted on Saturday that no matter how much his team tried to prepare for Sunday’s T20 World Cup clash against Pakistan as “just another game”, it would be much more than that. “It’s a big platform, obviously,” Suryakumar told reporters in Colombo, venue for Sunday’s massive Group A showdown. “No matter how much you say that it’s just another game, it is a big game.” The biggest and most lucrative clash in world cricket has sold out the 35,000-capacity R Premadasa stadium with hundreds of millions more expected to watch on television. The game was only confirmed as going ahead late on Monday night after the government reversed its decision to boycott the blockbuster Group A game. “We don’t play them often, don’t even play them regularly,” said the Indian skipper. “But at the end of the day, we try to keep things simple and try to execute our best game. “There is pressure, but there is a big opportunity,” said Suryakumar. “According to me, when you play an India-Pakistan game, i...

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav is facing controversy after the International Cricket Council (ICC) acknowledged remarks he made following India’s Asia Cup group-stage victory over Pakistan on September 14, saying that it is reviewing a complaint lodged by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and has had a formal hearing, Hindustan Times reported on Thursday. The move comes after the PCB lodged an official complaint with the ICC against Yadav for dedicating its September 14 win over Pakistan to “the families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack”. At least 24 people had been killed in the April attack, which led to a brief military escalation between India and Pakistan, as New Delhi blamed Islamabad for the attack without evidence. The ICC confirmed that it is reviewing a complaint filed by the PCB and a formal hearing took place today, as per Hindustan Times. “[Match referee Richie] Richardson heard Suryakumar’s explanation and is expected to deliver his verdict on Friday,” Hindustan Times added. The outle...

India men’s captain Suryakumar Yadav claimed matches against Pakistan can no longer be considered a real rivalry after his side extended their recent dominance over the Green Shirts with a six-wicket victory in their Asia Cup Super Four clash on Sunday. India’s second win over Pakistan at the T20 tournament padded their head-to-head record in the format to 11-3 against the Green Team, with one match tied. Pakistan still has a lead in the overall record against India across all three formats with 88 wins against India’s 79 victories. Played against the backdrop of lingering tensions between the two nations in the wake of their military conflict in May, there were no handshakes between the players once again. “According to me, if two teams play 15-20 matches and if it is 7-7 or 8-7, then that is called a rivalry,” Suryakumar told reporters. “But 13-0, 10-1. I don’t know what the stats are. But this is not a rivalry anymore.” Defending champions India dropped four catches during the match, and Suryakumar said th...