New York, Jun 2 (PTI) Babar Azam, who advised his team to stay calm and stick to the basics in the much-awaited T20 World Cup clash, said the hype, the Expectations and pressure surrounding the India-Pakistan match are sure to make fans and players overwhelmed. nervous. It's Sunday here.
India have lost only once to Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in seven encounters, with their only defeat coming in 2021 when the Virat Kohli-led side lost by 10 wickets in the tour Super 12.
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“We know that the Pakistan-India match generates more discussions than any other match. “There is a very different atmosphere in this match and there is a lot of enthusiasm not only among the players but also among the fans,” Babar said on the PCB podcast. .
“Wherever you go in the world, you will find people talking about the India-Pakistan match and supporting their country. All the fans are eagerly waiting for this match and focusing on this particular match.
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“Obviously there is anxiety around the expectations and hype surrounding this game. It's all about how you handle it and the more you focus on the basics, the easier it will be for you as a player.
“This is a match under immense pressure and if you stay calm, stay calm and trust in your hard work and skills, things will become easier,” Babar added.
The Pakistani captain expressed regret over the missed opportunity in the 2022 edition.
“For me, in 2022, we could and should have won the match against India, but they missed it. The most painful defeat was against Zimbabwe. It hurts even more because we played good cricket against India and people praised our performance and fight. ,' he said. , remembers their one-off defeat in the thriller The Last Ball.
He also stressed the importance of playing the best cricket against each team, focusing on effort and a positive mindset while realizing that results are uncertain.
“I'm happy and excited because when you participate in a big event you feel a different type of excitement. Every cricketer's goal is to play in the World Cup, that's why I feel this way. Hope is always like that. I can lift the trophy, but for that we have to play cricket at the highest level against all the teams.
“The efforts are in our hands, but we do not yet know the results. How we present ourselves on the field, our body language and how we communicate with each other will be important. We have to be positive for the results to be visible. .”
2009 champions Pakistan have been the most consistent team in the World T20, reaching the semi-finals six times in eight editions.
They finished runners-up in 2007 and 2022, losing to England in the final of the previous edition.
“In the final, Shaheen's injury had a big impact because at that time the pressure was on them (England). We had to throw the ball to a pitcher and that made the difference.
“Our performance in the last two ICC Men's T20 World Cups has been good. Unfortunately, we weren't able to finish the season well. We were also runners-up in the ACC T20 Asia Cup 2022. So, in our mind, we are in the same league,” Babar said. We reflect on how we played in the two finals and the semi-final and how we can overcome the mistakes that derailed our campaign.
Babar said winning the ICC Trophy was his ultimate dream.
“As a batsman I did well and as a captain I won several trophies. But lifting the ICC trophy is a different motivation. You move to a different level and receive a lot of praise. “So the motivation, ambition and dream remains to lift the ICC trophy and bring it to Pakistan,” he said.
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