Pakistan captain Babar Azam called matches against India as ‘immense pressure ahead of their tie in T20 World Cup 2024. The two arch-rivals will clash in New York on June 9 and everyone is waiting for the match.
Babar Azam admitted that the excitement, expectations, and pressure surrounding the India-Pakistan games sometimes make players nervous. He told his players to be cool and focus on the basics during the highly anticipated T20 World Cup match on Sunday.
India has dominated Pakistan in T20 World Cup history, winning six of seven matches. The sole exception came in 2021 when Pakistan beat Virat Kohli's team by ten wickets in the 'Super 12' stage.
"We know the Pakistan-India fixture generates more discussion than any other match. There is a different vibe altogether for this fixture, and there's a lot of excitement too not just among players but also among the fans.
Wherever you go in the world, you'll have people talking about the India-Pakistan match with everyone supporting their country. Every fan eagerly waits for this fixture and focuses on this one particular match,” Babar Azam said on the PCB podcast.
"Obviously, the expectations and the hype around this match cause some nervousness. It all comes down to how you handle it and the more you focus on the basics, the easier it will be for you as a player. It's a game of immense pressure, and if you keep your head cool, stay calm, and trust your hard work and skills, things will be easier," Babar added.
The Pakistan skipper lamented the chances that the team missed in the 2022 edition.
"For me, in 2022, we could and should have won the India game, but they took it away. The most hurtful was the defeat against Zimbabwe. It hurts more because we had played good cricket against India and people were praising our performance and fight back," the skipper recalled, lamenting the heartbreaking one-run loss.
Babar emphasized the significance of playing at your best against all opponents, emphasizing the need to focus on effort and retain a positive mindset while accepting that results are unpredictable.
"I am happy and excited because when you go to play in a major event, you have different excitement. It's the aim of any cricketer to play in a World Cup, so that kind of feeling is coming over me. The hope is always to lift the trophy, but for that to happen, we have to play top cricket against every side.
Effort is in our hands, but results, we do not know. How we present ourselves on the ground, our body language, and how we communicate with each other will matter. We must be positive, so results will come,” he said.
"Our performances in the last two ICC Men's T20 World Cups have been good. Unfortunately, we could not finish on a high. We were also runners-up in the ACC T20 Asia Cup 2022. So, at the back of our minds, we are thinking about how we have played two finals and a semi-final and how we can overcome the mistakes that derailed our campaigns," Babar said.
Babar said the team has a collective dream of winning an ICC tournament.
"As a batter, I have achieved decently, and, as a captain I have won a few series. But lifting the ICC trophy is a different motivation. You go to a different level and get a lot of praise. So, the motivation, aspiration, and dream remain to lift an ICC trophy and present it to Pakistan," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
