‘Always special playing against Pakistan’: Rishabh Pant says ahead of T20 World Cup clash

Ahead of the traditional rivals' high-octane T20 World Cup 2022 clash on Sunday (October 23), Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has opened up about facing Pakistan, saying there is a “special hype” around the fixture.

The left-handed batter said: "It's always special playing against Pakistan because there is a special hype around that match always. There are so many emotions involved, not only for us but the fans and everyone."

"It's a different kind of feeling, a different kind of ambience when you go on to the field and when you get on the field, you see people cheering here and there. It's a different atmosphere and when we were singing our national anthem, I actually get goosebumps," Pant was quoted as saying on the International Cricket Council's (ICC) website.

Last year's clash at the T20 World Cup was a one-sided affair, with Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam successfully chasing down India's score of 151-7 without losing any wickets to gift Pakistan a comprehensive 10-wicket triumph at the Dubai International Stadium on October 26.

Pant played a vital knock in last year's World Cup, as he added 53 runs with then-skipper Virat Kohli on his way to his 39-run knock-off 30 balls. The 25-year-old also recalled smashing two maximums off pacer Hasan Ali.

''I fondly remember that I smacked Hasan Ali for two sixes in the same over. We were just trying to get the run rate up because we lost early wickets and we staged a partnership — me and Kohli. We were increasing the run rate and I smacked him for two sixes with one hand... my special shot,'' said Pant.

The wicketkeeper didn't feature in India's T20 Asia Cup 2022 clash against Pakistan on August 28. However, he got a chance to play in the second match of the Asian event on September 4, where he scored 14 runs off 12 balls.

Pakistan will take on India in their T20 World Cup 2022 opener at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.