India Captain Says Team 'Switched Off Phones, Slept' To Shut Out Noise Before Pakistan Game

When India and Pakistan players step onto the field in Dubai for their Asia Cup Super Four game on Sunday, it will be impossible for fans in both countries to keep their emotions in check.

A lot has happened in the past seven days after India won the last match, comprehensively by seven wickets, in what was the first cricket fixture after the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours came to the brink of an all-out war following a four-day military conflict in May.

The cricketing world was stunned to see bad blood spill into the cricket ground as Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and his players skipped the customary handshake with the opposition players.

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The Indian team didn't break any rules, as it's not mandatory to shake hands with the opposition players in cricket. But neutral observers felt their act was against the spirit of sports.

The handshake snub sparked a furious response from the Pakistan Cricket Board, which demanded the removal of the match referee Andy Pycroft.

Pakistan even came to the brink of boycotting the tournament until a decision to go ahead with their matches was announced at a hastily organised press conference in Lahore last Wednesday.

Now, as the two teams gear up for their next match in the tournament, the spotlight is back on Suryakumar, the man whose handshake snub at the toss triggered an unprecedented storm.

But Suryakumar just smiled when asked if the team would feel the weight of all that has happened in the past week when they enter the field at Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.

“I don't know what rivalry you guys are talking about. I just see the packed crowd and tell my team that it's time to entertain them. If so many people show up, it's our job to give them good cricket,” Suryakumar said.

The Indian captain then revealed how his team have prepared for Sunday's game amid the raging controversy over the handshake incident.

“We closed our room, switched off the phones and got some sleep,” he smiled before admitting that it's not easy to avoid the 'outside noise'.

“But yes, it's easy to say, sometimes it's difficult because you meet a lot of friends, you go out for dinner, but it's on you, what you want to listen to. I have been very clear, and I told the boys that if we want to go forward in this tournament, we have to shut all the noise from outside. But I don't tell them to shut everything down, take the good things that can help you on the ground.”

In terms of cricket, Suryakumar asserted that he is team is well-prepared for the Pakistan match on Sunday, having won all their group stage games.

“I feel our preparations have been excellent, leading into the tournament, and we had three good games also, so we are actually focusing on what we can do best,” he said.

“But yeah, it doesn't give us an edge, that we have played them once and we had a good game.

“It will be a good game, we will have to start well from scratch, and whoever plays well will win the game.''

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