India Did Not Play Against Pakistan In 1997-98 To Avoid Defeats: Abdul Razzaq

India and Pakistan are scheduled to face each other in the upcoming Cricket World Cup 2023, marking their first encounter in nearly a year. The highly anticipated match will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, renowned as the world's largest cricket stadium. Notably, Pakistan's last visit to India was in 2016 for the ICC T20 World Cup.

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Prior to the prestigious tournament, former Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzaq made a startling comment about the Indian team while advocating for the revival of bilateral series between the arch-rivals. Razzaq claimed that India avoided playing against Pakistan extensively during the 1997-98 period due to Pakistan's dominance on the field. However, he acknowledged that times have changed, emphasizing the significance of a team's performance on any given day.

"We have a mutual respect and friendship. The only team that doesn't compete against Pakistan is India. Back in 1997-98, they did not play against us much because we were a formidable force, and India often ended up losing. Now, it's 2023, and we need to alter our mindset. No team should be considered superior or inferior; it is the performance during the game that truly matters," explained Razzaq during an interview with EHCricket.

The 43-year-old further highlighted that both India and Pakistan possess strong teams, drawing a comparison with England and Australia, who are currently engaged in the Ashes 2023 series. He expressed his desire to witness future series and matches between India and Pakistan.

"Both teams are equally capable. It is unfair to label the Pakistan team as weak. Look at the ongoing Ashes series; can you definitively say which team is better? The team that performs on the given day emerges victorious, it's as simple as that. We need to move past this and resume playing matches and series against each other," added Razzaq.

Furthermore, in addition to the Cricket World Cup, India and Pakistan are also scheduled to clash in the Asia Cup 2023 prior to the ODI World Cup in the same year. The Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, is currently engaged in a bilateral series in the West Indies, featuring two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is. Meanwhile, Babar Azam and his team are competing in a two-match Test series in Sri Lanka, which serves as their first assignment in the new ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.