Only once in the history of World Cups, be it 50-over or T20, have Pakistan beaten India. The triumph for the team came in the T20 World Cup 2021 when Babar Azam‘s men got the better of the Indian team in Dubai. India have won 7 times against Pakistan when it comes to T20 World Cups and lost just once while in the 50-over format, India are unbeaten on 8 occasions. Mohammad Rizwan, who was part of the Pakistan team that defeated India in the T20 World Cup 2021, recalled the stunning difference that one win made in the lives of Pakistani cricketers.

“We had never beaten India before that (in a World Cup). Ramiz Raja met us and said, you have to beat India. There was a long time to go for the World Cup when he first came in (as PCB president) but he had started developing this thought in the team from right then,” Rizwan said in an event in the USA.

“As we got closer to the World Cup he said, regardless of whether you win the trophy or not, just don’t lose to India. He used to say don’t come under pressure, and then would put pressure on us,” he added.

India vs Pakistan is a contest that needs to be introduced. The Pakistan team was being coached by Australia great Matthew Hayden during the 2021 event. Rizwan also revealed Hayden’s message ahead of the high-profile clash.

“India vs Pakistan always comes with pressure. People may not watch all matches in a tournament but this is a game everyone sits down to watch, regardless of which country they belong to. At the time we had Matthew Hayden with us. He put his arms around me and the captain and asked how we are feeling. The captain said that we have worked hard and now we leave it all in the hands of God,” Rizwan.

The Pakistan wicket-keeper batter also revealed how people refused to let him and other players in the team pay money, and let them shop for free.

“For me it was all a first, whether it be playing in a World Cup or in such a big match. So I was feeling quite normal, I didn’t think this was any different from any other match. But when we won, that is when I realised what we achieved. In Pakistan, say I go for shopping somewhere, people won’t take money. Then I stopped going out for shopping because they just weren’t taking money from us, they were all commending us for beating India. Everyone I met was commending us for the win. Once when I went to someone’s room they had the match playing on television and said that they watch it everyday,” he said.

India and Pakistan would square-off again in T20 World Cup 2024 on June 09.