Shadab Khan, Pakistan cricket team's all-rounder, has claimed that his team is looking beyond just defeating India in the upcoming ODI World Cup.
The ICC recently released the schedule for the showpiece tournament, as per which Pakistan will take on India in Ahmedabad on October 15. It is noteworthy that India have a flawless 7-0 record against their neighbours in the ODI World Cup.
Taking into account the intensity of the rivalry, Khan admitted that Pakistan will be under immense pressure to beat India in their own backyard. At the same time, he stressed the importance if winning the championship by saying that a win against their arch-rival will not mean much if they do not win the trophy.
Shadab was quoted as saying, "Playing against India comes with a different sense of joy. The pressure overall is also different. Now when we have to go there, it will be their home ground - the crowd will be against us. However, we are going there to play in the World Cup, so we should think about it, and not only about India, because if we win against India and lose the World Cup, then there's no benefit of it. In my opinion, even if we lose from India, but end up winning the World Cup, it's a win-win because that is our main aim."
Shadab has been a key member of the Pakistani white-ball team, but has only played 6 Test matches.
He revealed that he intends to participate in red-ball tournaments after completion of the ODI World Cup in India. Shadab made his last Test match appearance against England in Manchester in 2020.
