"Media and fans behind an unreal India-Pakistan match hype"

India-Pakistan matches draw more attention than any other match-up. Yes, The Ashes battle between England and Australia is another major rivalry but when it comes to an ICC event, none matches the hype of an Indo-Pak showdown. Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan, however, has remarked that the side will treat "it like any other game" at the upcoming T20 World Cup.

The showpiece event is slated to get underway in the UAE and Oman on October 17 and the two South Asian giants will locks horns at the Dubai International Stadium on October 24. As expected, the moment the T20 WC schedule was announced, speculations and anticipation surrounding the high-octane clash began.

While addressing a press conference, Rizwan said that the hype is being created by the fans and that taking additional pressure for this game won't do the team any good. 

"This India-Pakistan match, we will consider it like any other game. The hype is being created by the social media and fans which is fine but in our hearts and minds, we will consider this game the same as one against any other side. Because, if we as players take on the additional pressure of this game, then that won't be good as it has happened before."

When asked about whether Pakistan will have an added advantage as they have played a lot of cricket on UAE soil, he said:

"I have never been a believer in the fact that any one side, including Pakistan, has any special advantage in UAE or anywhere else," he said. "All we can say is that the tournament is being held in Asia as I consider UAE to be in Asia."

"Yes, we have been playing there for a while and we used to say that UAE is our home ground but I never accepted that because the pitches there, from what I understood, were made with soil from Australia or from other parts of the world," he added. "So, even if UAE was called our home ground, that was not the case."