Rohit reveals his talking points with Babar and it isn't just about cricket

Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam met during the captains' day of the T20 World Cup

There's no denying that cricketers from India and Pakistan get along very well. The tension, drama, pressure, and weight of expectations surrounding an India-Pakistan match do not affect the players' relationships on either side.

One of the highlights of the Asia Cup in UAE was the friendship between India's top stars Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant and Pakistan's mainstays Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and their coaches, Mohammad Yousuf and Saqlain Mushtaq. 

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Before the start of the eighth edition of the T20 World Cup, captains from all 16 teams spoke to the press in two groups in Melbourne. The second group included West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan, Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine, and Scotland captain Richard Berrington, as well as India captain Rohit Sharma and his Pakistan counterpart Babar Azam.

Despite playing cricket for different nations, Rohit and Babar appeared to be friends. They heaped praise for each other throughout, but when a journalist asked about their conversations during tournaments, they explained the bond between India and Pakistan beautifully.

 (Rohit Sharma is older than me. I try to take as much experience as possible from him as he has been playing for a long time.), said Babar.

"As Babar said... We understand the game against Pakistan, but there is no point in discussing it every time and creating that pressure within yourselves. Whenever we meet against the Pakistan players, we met them in the Asia Cup and now... we talk about how things are back home, how the families are. Even our previous generation cricketers also told us the same thing. We just talk about what is going on, how is life and what new car they have bought or are about to buy)," Rohit said during the media session.

India and Pakistan are in the same group for the T20 World Cup Super-12 stage, which begins on October 22. They will begin their campaign against each other the following day in Melbourne. The last time India and Pakistan met in a World Cup match, India won by ten wickets, led by Babar Azam in Dubai. Since then, the two teams have met twice in the Asia Cup, with each winning once.

T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma injured during practice session

 Rohit Sharma was hit on the right forearm during the practice session

Before facing England in the T20 World Cup semifinal at the Adelaide Oval, Rohit Sharma was hit on his right forearm, giving India a brief injury scare.

When facing throw-downs, the Indian captain was struck on the forearm by a ball that nipped back, reared up from a length, and struck him. The team's medical staff attended to him immediately as he felt discomfort after being struck by the ball.

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Following a discussion, Rohit attempted to take strike again but was forced to end his practice session due to pain after only one ball.

While throw-down specialist D Raghavendra was upset by the development, Rohit remained at the outdoor nets facility, icing his injured forearm with mind coach Paddy Upton. After a 30-minute delay, Rohit eventually returned to the nets and batted for more than 15 minutes.

The 35-year-old has one half-century in the tournament against the Netherlands at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The semifinal match is set to take place at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, November 10.

Two days before their semifinal, three members of the Indian team attended the optional training session. Rohit was one of them. The other batters who faced throw-downs and the backup bowlers Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj were Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik.

Pakistan set for New Zealand showdown after late surge to the semis

 Pakistan and New Zealand go head-to-head in Sydney in the first semi-final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022

Pakistan was handed a lifeline when the Netherlands beat South Africa in the first game of the triple-header on Sunday, but now with a blank slate, they have set their sights on going all the way.

Familiar foes after the recent tri-series near this part of the world, Pakistan and New Zealand go head-to-head in Sydney in the first semi-final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022. Having beaten New Zealand in New Zealand to win the tri-series title recently, Pakistan would be eyeing a win with the momentum they have gathered over the last couple of matches in the Super 12 phase of the tournament. 

"The moment Pakistan cricket fires off with intent and starts to reveal its teeth, we become a real threat. There will be no one in this world and this competition that would want to face us right now," team mentor Matthew Hayden's inspirational dressing room speech is revealing of the kind of energy that the wins have brought into Pakistan's campaign.

On paper, they are rock solid - two consolidating openers with another at No.3 capable of warding off collapses followed by a dynamic middle-order that has a healthy mix of bashers and floaters and enough left and right-handed options, two quality spinners and a world-class pace attack that has been dominating in this T20 World Cup.

New Zealand, on the other hand, has excelled as a unit across the three different phases. From Finn Allen's Powerplay exploits to Glenn Phillips' calculated onslaughts, New Zealand's batting packs quite a punch. They bat deep and have batters for any situation in the game. The bowling attack has a left-arm quick good in the Powerplay, a swing bowler, a high-end pace bowler who hits the deck hard and two different kinds of spinners.

New Zealand has thrashed the hosts and won all but one of their matches in this tournament so far. Pakistan will pose challenges, but there's no doubt that the Black Caps are equipped to handle them, which makes for a mouth-watering contest on paper.

Predicted Playing XIs 

Pakistan: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood, Mohammad Haris, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (c), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult

Key Players

Finn Allen: The New Zealand opener has made only 91 runs in this tournament in four innings, but his incredible strike rate of 189.58 makes him the most dangerous batter in the Black Caps team. Against a searing pace attack, Allen's task will be cut out, but if gets going, like he did at Christchurch one month ago against this very attack, sans Shaheen Afridi, expect New Zealand to come out on top.

Shadab Khan: In a team where the quicks have dominated headlines, Shadab Khan has emerged as an unlikely hero with bat and ball in the latter stages of the Super 12 phase. With the SCG likely to aid some turn and New Zealand's top five having just one left-hander, Shadab's role would be huge. He's fresh off a stunning heist at this ground against South Africa and would back himself to do it all over again.