Asia Cup 2022: Ahead of Pakistan clash, Team India talks about how national anthem pumps them up

Dubai: Ahead of their second blockbuster clash of Asia Cup 2022 against Pakistan, players of the Indian cricket team talked about the importance of the national anthem in their sport and how they feel when it plays before their matches, especially big contests.
India will take on Pakistan for the second time in a span of 10 days as they begin their campaign in the Super-four of the Asia Cup on Sunday. Captain Rohit Sharma said on Star Sports that the feeling of representing the country cannot be put into words since it is too big for him.
"Anytime you represent your country and the national anthem plays, you get goosebumps all over the body. It will be more for me, since I will walk out for the toss as a captain. It is a great feeling. You cannot put the feeling of representing your country in words, that is how big it is for me," said Rohit.
Suryakumar Yadav said that the goosebumps he feels all over his body are felt even after the national anthem is over and he walks back to the dugout and comes back to the field.
Star batter Virat Kohli also said that when he heard the national anthem playing for the very first time as a member of the Indian team during the 2011 World Cup, he felt a sense of unity that he had not experienced before.
"I had never felt that sense of unity, that united energy in one place. The force of it, I had never experienced before. I get goosebumps all over my body. Everyone is singing, everyone is focused on one goal: That India has to win. That energy is really powerful. There is no other thought in people's minds. You can feel the energy, and emotions of the crowd. Like in 2016 T20 WC, Mohali, Eden Gardens. These are some of the experiences that are really memorable, because of the energy in the stadium. It is special when you feel so many ppl pushing you towards winning," said Virat.
Opener KL Rahul also said that when the national anthem plays, everyone forgets everything about themselves and everything becomes about the team, the country.
"The national anthem is what sets us up before every big game. You are wearing the blue jersey, something you dreamt of as a kid. Each one of us standing there feels gratitude," he added.
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant also gets goosebumps while hearing the national anthem play before his matches.
Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya also said, "I tell ppl if you want to experience goosebumps, it is the national anthem that plays before we play any team, it does not have to be a particular country. The feeling and pride we get are unmatchable. You cannot put it in words."
Both teams will look to make a winning start to their Super four campaign. India will look to continue their winning spree in the tournament with wins over Pakistan and Hong Kong in their previous matches. Meanwhile, Pakistan will be wary of the excellent record of India against them in the last five T20Is. India have secured wins in the last four matches of the five played between the two sides.
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Hasan Ali, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir, Mohammad Hasnain. (ANI)