Pakistan captain Babar Azam sounded confident ahead of his team’s massive match against arch-rivals India. The two Asian Giants will clash in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad on October 14, Saturday.
The rivalry between India and Pakistan in cricket is one of the most fierce in the world, with matches between the two countries receiving significant global viewership.
Both India and Pakistan have won their first two matches in the ongoing CWC 2023 tournament. India defeated Australia and Afghanistan, while Pakistan won against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
This will be the first time both the teams will clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad which has been fortified with security.
Babar Azam addressed the journalists in the pre-match press conference in Ahmedabad and while talking about India’s 7-0 record against Pakistan in Cricket World Cups, said that the records are made to be broken.
“Past is past, I try to focus on the present. Records are made to be broken. I have full faith in my team, we have done well in the first two games and hopefully will continue this form,” Babar said at the presser.
"It is not a pressure match for us. We have played each other a lot of times. We got a lot of support in Hyderabad and we hope the same for Ahmedabad. What matters is what we can do best as a team in both batting and bowling. In these conditions the margin of error for bowlers is minimal. Experience helps you play better when I was a youngster I used to get nervous but some seniors help you out," he added.
Babar showed confidence that they would win the match against India, leaving all the records suggesting India as a strong team behind.
"I think what has happened in the past is not important. We want to live in the present. I think we can do well. India-Pakistan match is high-intensity. Believe in ourselves. There are a lot of fans coming. I think we have an opportunity to do well in front of fans," he further stated.
"We plan accordingly as in the first 10 overs the wicket is different and after 10 overs it is different. So, we have to plan accordingly. We will miss Naseem Shah. Shaheen is our best bowler. We believe in him and he believes in himself. One or two matches of bad performance do not bother us,” Babar added.
Pakistan had defeated India for the first time in T20 World Cups in 2021 and Babar mentioned this victory, saying that they will repeat the same in the ODI World Cup at Ahmedabad.
"In 2021 we beat India in T20 WC. I think we can do that here as well. I have not scored many runs in this World Cup till now and I hope it changes. You need to field well if you want to do well in the World Cup. We are working on it. Fielding is about attitude," he concluded.
(ANI inputs)
