IND vs PAK in World Cup? Coach Gambhir brushes off the hype and focuses on winning the title

India head coach Gautam Gambhir played down the hype surrounding a potential clash between India and Pakistan in the 2027 ODI World Cup, insisting the team should focus on winning the tournament rather than one particular match.

After an interview with Star Sports India’s emphatic eight-wicket victory over West Indies in the second ODI in Guwahati, Gambhir said Pakistan should be treated like any other opponent India will face in South Africa. His comments came on the eve of the announcement of the ICC schedule for the 2027 FIFA World Cup, which will be held on October 1 in Cape Town.

The tournament will be jointly hosted by the Republic of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, and 14 teams will compete in the expanded edition.

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PAKISTAN IS NOT THE BIGGER PICTURE

The India-Pakistan match is expected to attract huge attention whenever the schedule is announced, but Gambhir insisted it cannot become the defining feature of India’s World Cup campaign.

“I don’t have any preference. I think our job is not just to play against Pakistan; our job is to go there, compete and try to win the World Cup,” Gambhir told Star Sports.

“I’ve said it before: Pakistan is just another team we have to play. At the end of the day, when you go to South Africa, the goal is to perform well and win the tournament, rather than just focusing on beating Pakistan.”

The rivalry has traditionally been one of the biggest attractions in international cricket, with matches between the two sides attracting huge interest from fans and broadcasters. Gambhir acknowledged that the public conversation surrounding the match will be difficult to avoid, but said the Indian dressing room would take a different approach.

“I know the announcers, the emotions and the public will still talk about it, but in the dressing room we try to keep things as simple and calm as possible,” he said.

For Gambhir, the bigger challenge is to ensure that India arrive at the World Cup with a team capable of handling the pressure throughout the tournament, rather than preparing specifically for one opponent.

LIMITED TIME TO COMPLETE THE SQUAD

This urgency was another major theme of Gambhir’s interaction after the Guwahati win. With the World Cup around the corner, the Indian coach believes the team has a limited window to test players and settle on a preferred combination.

Gambhir said India can only have about 20 ODIs retired before the World Cup, making every opportunity to evaluate players important. He pointed to the inclusion of Aaqib Nabi against the West Indies as an example of the approach India want to adopt, with opportunities being handed to players while there is still time to assess their suitability.

The coach also emphasized that experimentation cannot be limited to matches where the result no longer matters.

“It was not a dead rubber and we also want to put the players under pressure,” Gambhir said. “A dead rubber doesn’t carry the same pressure as a game where the series is on the line.”

This philosophy was particularly evident in his comments about young pacer Gurnoor Brar. Gambhir said India must expose him to difficult phases of the innings, including the opening 10 overs and the death overs, rather than simply protecting his stats by using him during the middle overs.

PRESSURE BEFORE MS

Gambhir’s approach is based on putting India’s potential options under pressure before they get to the World Cup. He argued that players need to experience difficult situations in bilateral cricket if they are expected to handle them when the stakes are much higher.

“The more he bounces in tough conditions and high-pressure situations, the better it is for Indian cricket,” Gambhir said of Gurnoor. “You could easily have him do defensive spells in the middle overs and get good figures, but exposing him to those critical moments is what really benefits Indian cricket.”

The 2027 FIFA World Cup will be the first men’s edition to feature 14 teams and a new three-stage format with semi-finals and finals. It will also mark the return of the tournament to Africa after 24 years.

India enter the tournament with unfinished business after losing to Australia in the 2023 final in Ahmedabad. The 2027 edition could also hold more significance for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, with the veterans set to feature in their final World Cup campaign.

But with the schedule announcement looming, Gambhir’s message is clear. The India-Pakistan clash may dominate the headlines when it is confirmed, but the objective in the Indian camp remains much broader: to build the right team, prepare the players for the pressure and arrive in South Africa ready to challenge for the World Cup.

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