'No Special Preparations' - Bumrah Plays Down India-Pakistan Hype 

image-lnmrhgj3Indian pace sensation, Jasprit Bumrah at a conference earlier (Twitter)

The ace Indian speedste, Jasprit Bumrah will reserve "no special preparations" for the mother of all clashes when India takes on arch-rivals Pakistan in their next ICC World Cup 2023 league encounter in Ahmedabad on Saturday (October 14). 

He believes in the no-hype mantra and is focused on training and approaching the fixture like any other game of the tournament where they now stand with two successive victories following comprehensive performances versus Australia and Afghanistan. 

Even as the world waits in anticipation of the Indo-Pak battle in front of a potential 1.2 lakh capacity crowd at the refurbished stadium in Gujarat, Bumrah felt it would be ignoring the basics to let the outside hype creep inside the Indian dressing room and train and strategise any differently just because a Pakistani batter is at the other end. 

The world's premier limited-overs bowler echoed the sentiment within the Rohit Sharma-led group and affirmed that neither the Indian team is focused on the spice of the rivalry nor keeping special plans and preparations in place to retain their World Cup dominance over the neighbours. 

Jasprit Bumrah Plays Down India-Pakistan Hype 

Speaking to the press after his spectacular outing against the Afghans in Delhi, Bumrah came up with a strong response when asked if he feels the pressure or the sense of occasion heading into the bout against Babar Azam and his much-vaunted pace battery in Ahmedabad. 

"Every team will have bowlers, every team will have batters. We also have batters, we also have bowlers. We're not preparing any special way for any team. We're looking at ourselves more than the other side because we've realised that if we focus on our team, focus on our strengths, everything takes care of itself.So yes, we are focusing on ourselves, our preparations and strengths. If everything that is in our control, we control that, it gives us the best chance," he added. 

Bumrah would've been delighted with his outing in Delhi versus the Afghans as he produced a terrific spell of 4/39 off his 10 overs and played a major role in India's eight-wicket victory. The bowler remains India's trump card heading deeper into the campaign, the ace for all stages up Rohit's sleeves.