Harbhajan believes more pressure would be on India than Pakistan in WC encounter

Former Indian cricketer, Harbhajan Singh, has said that the Indian cricket team will face more pressure than Pakistan in their upcoming clash at the ICC World Cup 2023. 

As the match will take place on Indian soil, Singh highlighted the added pressure faced by the hosts due to the immense expectations from passionate home supporters.

"It will be a very high-pressure game. Pakistan will not be under as much pressure as India because India will be playing in India. So to handle and absorb that pressure and to win from there and bring a smile to everyone's faces will be a huge thing," Harbhajan said.

The 42-year-old acknowledged that the India versus Pakistan encounter is an unparalleled spectacle in the cricketing world, noting that the 2011 semi-final match between the two teams felt more like a final due to the overwhelming significance it held. 

"There cannot be anything bigger than that - India vs Pakistan. I remember the game, if I talk about 2011, according to me that semi-final was a semi-final by name, it was the final game," he said.

The right-arm offbreak bowler also emphasized the importance of managing and absorbing the pressure while striving to bring joy to the faces of Indian cricket fans.

"The pressure of that match, the expectations in that game from your relatives to entire India and wherever Indians are sitting, you just have to do one thing for them, and that is to win the match," he concluded.

The much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash is scheduled for Sunday October 15 in Ahmedabad. Their last encounter in the 2019 World Cup was a high-scoring affair with India achieving a huge victory in Manchester.