Virender Sehwag: We were superstitious while playing Pakistan in the World Cup
At a promotional event, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambir, Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar discussed the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 and India Pakistan clashes.
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar sat down for a promotional event, 'Agenda Aaj Tak 2014', and discussed the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia-New Zealand. The conversation meandered across favourites for the World Cup before settling down on a candid discussion about India-Pakistan World Cup matches.
Picking his favourite for the title, Gambhir said, "It is not possible to predict who will win the World Cup but may be we can predict the top four. In cricket, it depends on that day. My heart says India will win, but I think Australia will be the favourites since it is happening in their own backyard."
Sehwag and Wasim Akram, however, named South Africa as the top favourites, despite their chokers tag, as they believed the conditions Down Under would suit the Proteas.
On asked if MS Dhoni could help India retain the Cup, Gambhir said, "Individually, Dhoni can't win you a World Cup. I always believed that it's a team which wins you a World Cup. Dhoni is someone who handles pressure well and doesn't create panic."
Meanwhile, former Pakistan speedster, Shoaib Akhtar, believed that both India and Pakistan had the ingredients to win the big prize. "If Pakistan can show daredevilry and India can show the right attitude then either of the two teams can win the World Cup. The major factor for India is that they now have three fast bowlers who can bowl at 140km, but they need to be fit," he said.
Talking about Pakistan's poor record against India in the World Cup, Akhtar said the players always took unnecessary pressure when playing India in a World Cup, something his former skipper, Wasim Akram seconded. "I have always wondered as a player and as a captain why we lose against India in World Cup and I think it is the pressure which affects the performance," Akram said.
Sharing his view, Virender Sehwag, member of two Indian wins against Pakistan in World Cups (2003, 2011), said: "I played in two World Cups and I can say that we were superstitious while playing Pakistan and used to say that we will lose. In fact in 2011, we kept saying we will lose in quarters, semifinals and finals."
Sehwag and Gambhir, however had different takes on handling pressure of playing in a World Cup. "As a cricketer, pressure is always there. It won't matter if the World Cup is in Australia or India," Gambhir said.
True to his persona, Sehwag added, "Pressure depends on individuals. My job was always to give a good start and not to play the entire 50 overs. It was to make maximum runs and make it easy for the other batsmen to follow. So it depends on individuals."
India and Pakistan will face each other in their opening match of the quadrennial event in Adelaide on February 15.
© ICC World Cup Streaming
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