‘In the Dressing Room, We…’: Gautam Gambhir Makes His India-Pakistan Stance Clear Ahead of 2027 World Cup

Whenever India and Pakistan meet at a major ICC tournament, the build-up can become almost as intense as the cricket itself.

But India head coach Gautam Gambhir wants his players to look at things differently ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Speaking after India’s eight-wicket victory over the West Indies in Guwahati, Gambhir played down the additional attention surrounding a potential World Cup meeting with Pakistan and stressed that India’s objective cannot revolve around defeating one particular opponent.

For Gambhir, the target is much bigger — winning the World Cup.

‘Pakistan is just another team’

Asked about the prospect of facing Pakistan at the tournament, Gambhir said he had no particular preference.

“Our job isn’t just to play against Pakistan; our job is to go there, compete, and try to win the World Cup,” Gambhir told Star Sports.

He said Pakistan should be approached as another opponent India may have to overcome during the competition rather than being treated as the defining match of the campaign.

That doesn’t mean Gambhir is unaware of the enormous interest surrounding an India-Pakistan contest.

Matches between the neighbours remain among international cricket’s most closely followed fixtures, attracting intense attention from supporters and broadcasters.

What happens inside India’s dressing room?

Gambhir acknowledged the emotion surrounding the rivalry but explained that the approach inside the Indian camp is deliberately different.

“In the dressing room, we try to keep things as simple and calm as possible,” he said.

The coach’s focus is therefore on preventing the attention surrounding one fixture from overshadowing India’s wider World Cup objectives.

For a tournament with several stages and potentially a long route to the final, Gambhir believes consistency across the competition will matter more than obsessing over a single opponent.

India have limited time to find their World Cup combination

The India coach is also conscious that the team has limited opportunities remaining to settle its combination before the 2027 tournament.

After India’s record chase against West Indies in Guwahati, Gambhir stressed the importance of using upcoming ODI assignments to test different players and combinations.

The selection of Auqib Nabi against West Indies was part of that process.

Rather than waiting for low-pressure matches, Gambhir wants potential World Cup players to experience difficult situations while results still matter.

“It wasn’t a dead rubber, and we also want to put players under pressure,” he said.

The reasoning is straightforward: performing when a bilateral series is still alive provides the coaching staff with more meaningful information than experimenting only after the outcome has already been decided.

Gurnoor Brar could be tested in toughest overs

Gambhir highlighted Gurnoor Brar while explaining how India intend to develop their bowling options.

Instead of protecting a young bowler’s figures by using him primarily during relatively comfortable middle-over periods, Gambhir wants players tested when batters are most likely to attack.

That means exposure during the opening powerplay and death overs.

According to Gambhir, repeatedly experiencing difficult situations before the World Cup could leave India’s emerging players better equipped for the pressure of a global tournament.

“The more he bowls in tough conditions and high-pressure situations, the better it is for Indian cricket,” Gambhir said of Gurnoor.

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2027 World Cup brings major format change

The 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, bringing the men’s ODI showpiece back to Africa for the first time since 2003.

The competition has expanded to 14 teams and will feature a new three-stage structure before the semifinals.

A Super Series involving the three lowest-ranked qualified teams will begin the competition, with one advancing. The subsequent round will feature 12 teams split into two groups of six.

Seven teams will then advance to a Super 7 round-robin stage, from which the top four will qualify for the semifinals.

The expanded tournament is scheduled to feature 57 matches across 12 venues.

India return with unfinished World Cup business

The tournament will carry particular significance for India after their run at the 2023 ODI World Cup ended with defeat to Australia in the final in Ahmedabad.

India had been unbeaten until that title clash.

The 2027 edition will also carry additional attention around senior stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Kohli has already said the tournament will be his final ODI World Cup for India.

For Gambhir, however, the immediate priority is building a squad capable of handling different conditions, opponents and pressure situations.

An India-Pakistan match may inevitably dominate headlines whenever it arrives.

Inside India’s dressing room, Gambhir wants the objective to remain considerably simpler: prepare for every opponent and build a team capable of going all the way.