Virat Kohli urges India to keep emotions in check against Pakistan

The India captain believes they should be treating the game like any other as they prepare to meet Pakistan for the seventh time in World Cup history

India captain Virat Kohli has urged his teammates not to get caught up in the emotions of Sunday's game against Pakistan at Old Trafford.

The 2011 World Cup winners have faced Pakistan on six occasions in the competition's history, and have come out on top in all of those matches.

A seventh victory would have serious implications in the race for the knockout stages as India, still unbeaten, search for a third win in four matches, while Pakistan’s semi-final chances are starting to drift away after two losses already.

However, Kohli has warned his side only a composed performance tomorrow will do the job against the side that beat them in the 2017 Champions Trophy final at The Oval.

"We can't get too emotional or too over-excited with any occasion that we play in," he said.

"The mindset of the players is always going to be different from the fans – you can’t mix the two. Our attention span has to be very precise on the field because we have a split-second to make a decision.

^{Kohli has warned his players not to get caught up in the emotions of the day}

"But from the fans' point of view, with the atmosphere and the frenzy around the game – I wouldn’t say it's easy to think like a player.

"The best way for the players to approach something like this is to understand the game starts at a certain time and finishes at a certain time. It's not going to last a lifetime for you.

"Whether we do well or we don't do well, our tournament is not going to finish tomorrow, so the focus has to be on the larger picture, although on that particular day we need to come out as a team and execute as an XI on the field."

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Pakistan Mohammad Amir has caused India's batsmen plenty of problems in recent years, especially in the final two years ago, but Kohli maintained that the left-armer, nor any of Amir's teammates, would be his side's focus.

"As I said, we're not focusing on the opposition, so for us no one's a threat. For us, no one player matters more than the other for us.

"It's about going into the park as the Indian cricket team and taking on whichever team is in front of us. If we play well, we can beat any side in the world. If you don't play well, teams are going to come out and beat you. That's how simple the game of cricket is, and it should be.

"In our minds, nothing changes according to the opposition. We're only focused on playing the type of cricket we're known for, not singling out any player from the opposition or focusing more on one particular player than the other."

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