"It is discussed too much wherever you go" - Babar Azam on India-Pakistan matches
Pakistan captain Babar Azam stressed on the need to focus amid the overhype around their T20 World Cup 2024 clash against India on June 9t in New York. The right-handed batter admitted that there will be pressure, but composure and sticking to basics will take care of the result.
While India vs Pakistan matches have always attracted eyeballs, the former have dominated the head-to-head contest in the T20 World Cups. Out of eight matches, the Men in Green have lost seven, including the final to India in the inaugural edition of 2007 in Johannesburg.
Babar Azam's captaincy saw the Men in Green beat their arch-rivals for the first time in the T20 World Cup. Speaking in a PCB podcast ahead of the June 9 meeting, Babar remarked:
"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 rued defeats to India and Zimbabwe in the 2022 edition as Pakistan lost from a winning position. Reflecting on the final 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 reached the final in 2022 despite defeats to India and Zimbabwe. South Africa's shock loss to the Netherlands made a massive difference, but England proved to be too good in the decider.
"Lifting the ICC trophy is a different motivation" - Babar Azam
Babar suggested that his captaincy has been decent, but declared that only an ICC trophy win will give him all the vindication 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 begin their T20 World Cup campaign against co-hosts USA on June 6 in New York.