- Rizwan says that cricketers share a good relationship off the field, just like “friends”.
- The star player agrees that despite the friendship off the field, the players’ only motive is to win the game.
- He says that regardless of having different feelings and opinions about India, we have a great deal of respect for each other off-field.
Pakistan and India are considered as the arch-rivals in the cricket world and matches between these two is never a “game” for the fans, but a “war” of sorts.
However, the relationship shared between the Pakistani and Indian players is a congenial one, as revealed by Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan.
During an interview with Cricket Pakistan on their YouTube channel, Rizwan said that the cricketers share a good relationship off the field, just like “friends”, The Hindustan Times reported.
Rizwan was asked about the eminent win against India in the 2021 T20 World Cup, and in response, he talked about some tactics.
“When we are on the ground, we make use of certain tactics like staring at the opponents, starting some chat or banter, and cheering loudly. Back home, we play against each other but eventually, it’s us who end up playing together for the Pakistan team. Then, we don’t talk about which state we come from. We are like a family,” he said.
He further said: “We may have different feelings and opinions about various nations like Australia and India but on the field, we only think about beating them. We have no other option. But off the field, we have a great deal of respect and love for each other.”
The star player agreed that despite the friendship off the field, the players’ only motive is to win the game.
“Having said that, it’s not like we make it easy for them to score runs or let him get to 100 if he’s on 99. This has never happened. We only had one thought process, which was to win at any cost,” he said.
After the match, the players were seen mingling with each other. Rizwan said that the players come on the field with the same competitive mindset.
“After the match, you saw a lot of players talk to Dhoni and Virat. Outside the field, we are like one cricketing family which includes all nations, be it Australia, South Africa, or Namibia,” he concluded.
