‘They’ll remind you if you lose’ – Not just any old game, says Shastri

Gambhir recently said the importance of the Champions Trophy group stage fixture against Pakistan was the same as every other fixture at the event, with all games at the tournament of equal value.

Speaking to host Sanjana Ganesan on the latest edition of The ICC Review, Shastri stated that while he had spoken of the fixture in the same light back when he was head coach, there’s more to it.

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“I was the coach for seven years. Whenever I was asked, I said the same thing (as Gambhir). But let me assure you, deep down, there's a lot more to that than you actually think, that's for the media,” Shastri said.

“You have to say it. But deep down, you want to win that. Because if you don't, you'll be reminded of it until the next time you play against Pakistan.

“People don't care what you have done in the past. They're not bothered about the last 10 games if you won eight or you won nine. But they'll remind you if you lose one, until the next time you play them.

“It can be a taxi driver, it could be anyone on the street. What happened to India? The same question to Pakistan. What happened to Pakistan? So it always plays on your mind, so whether you like it or not, it's a different game. Different beasts altogether.”

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ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting doubled down on Shastri’s assessment, elaborating on how certain rivalries have more edge to them.

“No, there's more to it. There's more edge to these games. And we'll actually see it firsthand because the build up in the week leading up to those games will be different than it is to any other game that they play,” Ponting told The ICC Review.

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“So when India plays New Zealand, then the build up for that game won't be anywhere near as it's going to be when India plays Pakistan.

“When Australia plays South Africa, it won't be quite as big as the build up when Australia plays England. That's just part of it all. The media gets behind it. But the rivalries, they are real.”

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Ponting added that while the hype around certain fixtures does raise the stakes, the players are also keen on getting a win against certain sides.

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“It's not a media build up. The players definitely want to beat certain teams and certain players more than others," Ponting noted.

“So if you're an Indian, you want to beat Pakistan more. If you're Pakistani, you want to beat India more. If you're an Australian, you want to beat England more and vice versa.

“You can say that it's another game but the player's heart rates at the start of those games are definitely a little bit higher than they are for any other game.”

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India and Pakistan, slotted in Group A of the Champions Trophy, are set to face-off on February 23 in Dubai.

The two teams had previously locked horns at the venue in an ICC tournament in 2021, when Pakistan registered a mammoth 10-wicket win.

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Shastri, however, believes that the throwback won’t be taking up much headspace for Indian players.

“No, that won't play on their mind because that was a T20 game. This is a 50-over clash. It's totally different," Shastri said.

“And it's a longer game which suits India more, because in T20 you can get upset. In 50-over cricket, if you've got experience and you've got depth in your batting and bowling departments and you know, it makes a massive, massive difference.

“And when you look at India and Pakistan man to man, India is a far better side and far more experienced as well.”