“The Players Get Different Vibes And Excitement”- Babar Azam On India-Pakistan Matches

Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, has acknowledged feeling anxious before the highly anticipated match. In an interview with the PCB podcast, Babar predicted that the match between IND and PAK would generate the most buzz during the tournament.

India and Pakistan are scheduled to play each other in the 2024 T20 World Cup group stage. India and Pakistan were drawn into the tournament’s Group A and will face off on June 9 in New York.

Within the world of sports, the rivalry between India and Pakistan is among the most fierce and widely followed. Even though the Men in Blue have won seven of the last eight head-to-head meetings in ICC competitions, they have dominated head-to-head encounters in T20 World Cups. Under Azam’s leadership, the Men in Green’s lone victory occurred in the 2021 tournament.

“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,” Babar Azam said on the PCB podcast.

“It is always a pressure game”- Babar Azam

Speaking about the forthcoming match against India, Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, feels that his team must remember the fundamentals, concentrate on the game, and maintain composure under pressure.

“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, and believe in your skills and hard work, the more things get,” Azam said.

Teams from Pakistan and India are arranged in Group A. Both sides have shown mediocre results in the most recent World Cups. India will arrive in the Americas looking like the notorious bickering Pakistani sides of the past. Since Dhoni’s first Cup, India has choked again.

But in the 50-over ICC tournament held last year, the core of this team did play some beautiful cricket. Notwithstanding the additional baggage they carry, non-favorites India will attempt to pull off a Pakistan-esque victory, with coach Rahul Dravid having the chance to banish memories of the 2007 Caribbean series.

Pakistan, however, has dropped two finals and three semifinal matches. However, they can be regarded as the most reliable T20 squad out of all of them, finishing in the top four six times out of eight editions, which may be a stunning rebranding statistic working in their favour.