Babar Azam, Pakistan skipper emphasized the need to stay focused regarding their ICC T20 World Cup clash against India on June 9th. The orthodox batter agreed that there is a lot of pressure regarding their match against the Men in Blue but he mentioned that being calm and composed and sticking to the basics will take care of the result.
India vs Pakistan matches have always been hyped and also deemed as a war between two countries. It has always been an eye-catching match whenever it took place. The Blue squad has always dominated the T20 series. Out of eight fixtures, the Green squad have lost seven, including the final to India in the maiden edition of 2007 in Johannesburg.
The players get different vibes and excitement during India-Pakistan matches- Babar Azam
Under Azam’s captaincy, the Men in Green have been able to defeat their arch-rival for the first time in the T20 World Cup. While having a conversation in a PCB podcast following the clash of June 9, Babar Azam mentioned:
“An India-Pakistan match is always the most talked about; it is discussed too much wherever you go in the world. The players get different vibes and excitement. What will happen is that everyone supports their country, so the focus is on that match. The whole world is focused on the day when the India-Pakistan match is held.”
“Naturally, there will be nerves, but we need to keep our focus, stick to the basics and play easy cricket. It is always a pressure game; the more you keep cool and calm, believe in your skills and hard work, then things get easier.”
Babar Azam lamented their loss against India and Zimbabwe in the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup as they lost from a winning position. Reminiscing their final match against England, he added:
“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 fightback. In the final, Shaheen’s injury was impactful because at that time, the pressure was on them (England). We were forced to give an over to a spinner and that made a difference.”
Pakistan made it to the finals in 2022 despite their loss to India and Zimbabwe. South Africa surprisingly lost to the Netherlands creating an impact, whereas England proved their worth.
Lifting the ICC trophy is a different motivation – Babar Azam
Babar Azam opted that his captaincy was adequate, but announced that only an ICC trophy would provide him with the absolution in the world.
“Effort is in our hands, but results, we do not know,” he continued. “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.”
“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 remains to lift an ICC trophy and present it to Pakistan.”
Pakistan will be starting their ICC T20 World Cup journey on June 6 with their co-host USA in New York.