File photo of Mohammad Haris© X (Twitter)
Pakistan A captain Mohammad Haris revealed that discussions about India is completely banned in the dressing room during the upcoming ACC Men's T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup. Pakistan A are all set to take on India A in their first match of the tournament on October 19. In a video going viral on social media, Haris explained that there is always pressure on the side when they take on arch-rivals India and the decision was taken to not exert any extra pressure on the cricketers.
"Aapko ek baat batau. Pehli dafa hoga ke iss dressing room mei Bharat par baat karne pe pabandi hai (I will tell you one thing; it's the first time ever that we are not allowed to talk about India in the dressing room)," Haris said in the viral video.
"You don't have to think about India, we have to think about other teams as well. I have been in the senior Pakistan team, played the last World Cup as well. It creates so much pressure that mentally you are thinking about India, India. We have to face other team as well," he added.
— Shahzaib Ali 🇵🇰 (@DSBcricket) October 15, 2024Humare Dressing Room Mein India Par Baat Karne Pe Pabandi Hai;
Captain Pakistan Emerging Team Muhammad Haris. pic.twitter.com/rrD3HIlyTI
Mumbai Indians star Tilak Varma will lead India A while Abhishek Sharma will serve as his deputy in the upcoming men's T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup, scheduled from October 18 to 27 in Oman.
The 21-year-old Varma brings experience from four ODIs and 16 T20Is, while Sharma has played eight T20Is. The squad also includes leg spinner Rahul Chahar, who has six T20I and one ODI appearances for India.
India A boasts several players with IPL experience, including Prabhsimran Singh from Punjab Kings, Anuj Rawat from Royal Challengers Bangalore, Ayush Badoni from Lucknow Super Giants, Ramandeep Singh from Kolkata Knight Riders, and Nehal Wadhera from Mumbai Indians in the batting lineup.
In the bowling department, the team features Vaibhav Arora (KKR), R Sai Kishore (Gujarat Titans), Hrithik Shokeen (MI), Rasikh Salam (Delhi Capitals), and Aaqib Khan.
Placed in Group B, India A will kick off their campaign against Pakistan on October 19 at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground in Muscat.
Oman and UAE complete their group, while Group A consists of Afghanistan A, Bangladesh A, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka A.
This will mark the first time the tournament is played in the T20 format. The previous five editions were held in the 50-over format.
(With PTI inputs)