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Hashmi, the veteran, saw his chance and started with statistics that Babar and Pakistan must be tired of by now: 7-0. It has been shown everywhere on television, news channels, websites and social media that Pakistan has played India seven times in over 50 World Cups and never won them.
Babar maintained his composure as he is known to do with a bat and microphone, and said: “I think there is no point in focusing on what happened in the past. I think we need to focus on what lies ahead,” he said. “All these lines were created to be broken. God willing, we will try to give our best tomorrow. Anything can happen on the day. I fully believe that my team performed well in the first three matches, and will continue to do so in the league.” Next matches.”
The line of questioning did not stop. A reporter asked him: “Everything about the pressure of cricket is fine, but what about friends and family? Aren’t they teasing Pakistan for turning it around for once?” And this time, Babar showed off his Punjabi humour: “I don’t know about it, but all the calls we get are for tickets only.”
However, Babar is not one to downplay the size of the match. “India-Pakistan is a big match, a high-intensity match. All I told the boys is: Give yourselves the best chance to win. Keep doing what you have been doing. Execute your plans, keep the faith, Ahmedabad is a great city.” “A big stadium, a lot of people come, but this is a great opportunity for us to perform well in front of them.”
“I didn’t get the captaincy in one game and I won’t lose it because of one game. We’ll just try to keep the tactics simple, give ourselves the best chance to execute the plans, and most importantly enjoy the experience.”
Babar Azam
“This is not pressure,” Babar said. “We have played in front of big crowds before. The MCG and all the big stadiums. Yes, this is a big stadium too. And yes, most of Ahmedabad’s colors will be blue. If Pakistani fans were allowed, they would love to support us.” “But when we entered Hyderabad, we saw a lot of Pakistani fans. I expect the same, and we are looking forward to the match.”
“Of course we will miss Naseem Shah,” Babar said. “The way he played in the Asian Cup, it was very impressive. He was young and improving day by day. We miss him a lot as a team and as a leader. As for Sahin, he is our best player.” He is our hero, and I think he is a great player in the matches. He will give a great performance. It doesn’t matter if he hasn’t taken a wicket in the last one or two matches. There’s no question mark against him. “We totally believe in him. He totally believes in himself.”
Teams are more professional than they were back in the day when defeat by each other ended team captaincy periods. Babar was asked if this history worried him
Babar said: “I did not get the captaincy in one match, and I will not lose it because of one match.” “I will get what God has written in my destiny. We will just try to keep the plans simple, give ourselves the best opportunity to execute the plans, and most importantly enjoy the experience.”
Siddharth Monga is associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
