T20 World Cup 2022: Kapil Dev believes India would be under more pressure in the clash against Pakistan

Arch rivals India and Pakistan are all set to lock horns in their T20 World Cup opener at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on October 23 (Sunday). Ahead of the all-important clash, former national captains Shahid Afridi and Kapil Dev shed light on what to expect from the two teams.

During a YouTube show, both former players spoke at length about the marquee clash. The stakes are always high during an India-Pakistan game and with the Asian giants playing each other only in multilateral tournaments, the excitement is even greater.

While there is no denying the pressure in both camps, it all boils down to how they handle it in crunch situations. The Indian legend feels that India will be under more pressure in the T20 World Cup clash as they are the better team on paper.

"I think both teams will be under pressure. As I know more about the Indian team, I feel they will be under a bit more pressure as on paper, they are the better team. Everyone will agree with this including the Pakistanis.

"So I think India will be under more pressure. Pakistan team will be under pressure but not like India. Their pressure is a bit different. The magnitude of the criticism is just too much in India."

Afridi agreed there will be pressure on both sides in the T20 World Cup game but felt it was important to enjoy the game and whoever does so will have a significant impact on the game. The former Pakistan captain was of the opinion that past results don't matter in such big matches.

"See, it doesn’t really matter how much you have won in the past. Since these two teams rarely play against each other which shouldn’t happen, but when these two teams play after a long time, the expectations start to increase for the players who have performed well in the past.

"As Kapil bhai always says, it’s important to enjoy the game. Pressure will be there on both sides but it’s important to enjoy what you are doing. The more you enjoy while batting, bowling, or fielding, the better the results will be.

"It’s how the players handle the pressure. The performance level tends to go up if you are enjoying your game."

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Super 12s of T20 World Cup start on Saturday after sensational Round 1

The Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup will commence on October 22 (Saturday) with the trans-Tasman rivalry on display. While Australia will square off against New Zealand in the first encounter, England are slated to play Afghanistan in the second match of the day.

The second day of the Super 12 stage will commence with the high-voltage clash between India and Pakistan.

It was on the back of Shaheen Afridi's bowling and a sensational opening partnership between Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan that Pakistan registered their maiden victory against India in a T20 World Cup match in UAE last year.

While the conditions in Australia are quite different, the Pakistan pacers will relish the opportunity to bowl on the bouncy tracks on offer. However, they will be up against a quality Indian batting line-up which has struck form at the right time.