‘Switch off your phones and sleep’, Indian skipper tells team before Pakistan clash

India’s players need to block out the noise as they prepare to again face rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup amid controversy over their previous clash, skipper Suryakumar Yadav said on Saturday.

The eight-team tournament has been dominated by headlines about Pakistan and India’s first meetings on the pitch since the military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May this year.

India prevailed in the politically-charged Group A match last week but their players refused to shake hands with their Pakistan opponents after the match.

Suryakumar dedicated India’s seven-wicket victory to their armed forces, while several of his teammates took to social media to express similar thoughts.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) called for match referee Andy Pycroft’s immediate removal for a code of conduct violation and considered withdrawing from the tournament before going ahead with UAE match after referee tendered apologies.

Naqvi, flanked by former chairmen Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi, told reporters at Gaddafi Stadium that Zimbabwe-based match referee Andy Pycroft had formally apologised to national captain Salman Ali Agha, the coach and the team manager, acknowledging the concerns raised by the side.

With the controversy likely to rumble on in the build-up to Sunday’s clash, Suryakumar offered some blunt advice for teammates struggling to cope with external pressure.

“Close your room, switch off your phone and sleep. I think that’s the best. It’s easy to say, but sometimes it is difficult,” he told reporters. “It’s on you, what you want to listen to, what you want to have in your mind.

“I have been very clear with all the boys. I think it’s very important if you want to do well in this tournament and going forward. We will have to shut a lot of noise from outside and take what is good for you.”

Despite India’s triumph in their previous encounter, Suryakumar insisted past results would count for nothing when the rivals meet again in the Super Four match.

“I feel our preparation has been really good leading into the tournament. We have also had three good games, so we are actually focusing on what we can do best,” he added.

“We want to follow all the good habits that we have been doing from the last two or three games. We take it one game at a time. It doesn’t give us an edge that we have played them once, and we had a good game. We have to start from scratch.”

When asked about the historic rivalry — which was much more intense in 2000s, he said, “At that time, I don’t know. I have never played. So I can’t say,” he laughed.

“If we talk about rivalry, I don’t know what kind of rivalry you are talking about. After going on the ground, I feel that the stadium is full. And when the stadium is full, I tell my team and everyone that it is time for entertainment. So many people have come to watch the match, so you have to entertain everyone. Let’s play some good brand of cricket. And according to me, we don’t think much,” he added.

Another question asked Suryakumar about the ‘other things’ India did against Pakistan, without explicitly mentioning the handshakes, and he simply said: ‘By other things, you mean we bowled well, isn’t it?’