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Babar Azam is confident that the result of the highly anticipated India-Pakistan World Cup clash on Saturday will not affect his captaincy.
Both team leaders experience immense pressure during such high-stakes matches, particularly because neither side’s fans are willing to accept defeat.
“I never worry, that because of this match I will lose my captaincy. Whatever God has written for me – I will get. I will get what I deserve. I didn’t get the captaincy because of one match and I will not lose it because of one match,” said Babar Azam, who certainly wasn’t happy with the question, replied with an air of disdain.
Babar Azam acknowledged his underwhelming record against India in ICC events, but he attributed it to the lack of frequent matches against India outside of ICC tournaments.
“My World Cup till right now has not been as it should have been – but hopefully you will see some difference in the next matches. Against India, we only come face to face in the World Cup. There is a big gap.
“It’s not that because of a bowler or… I say that I sometimes get out because of my mistake. I try to make as few mistakes as possible.” Babar faced a tricky question about the possibility of no Pakistani fans (save Chacha Chicago Bashir) being present at the Narendra Modi Stadium, but like a good student, who has diligently prepared for the question, it wasn’t exactly out of syllabus for him.
“This is not pressure because we have played before a lot of time in front of a large crowd, in front of big crowds at the MCG and all the big stadiums,” Babar said.
“Yes, there are also big stadiums around and yes, I think Ahmedabad will only be blue. So, if Pakistani fans are allowed, it would have been good for us.” Once again, he recalled how well they were received in Hyderabad upon arrival.
“When we arrived in Hyderabad, I feel there were a lot of supporters of the Pakistan team and I expect that here and we are looking forward to the match.” Someone slyly slipped in a query about tweets from players after victory over Sri Lanka, then mentioning about Mohammed Rizwan’s support for “brothers and sisters of Gaza”.
“I think it’s better if we stick to talking about cricket. You are taking the conversation to another direction,” Babar was quick to cut it short before controversy could rear its head.”
India has maintained a perfect record against Pakistan in ODI World Cups, winning all seven encounters so far.
Will this streak extend to 8-0 after Saturday? Babar Azam remains unfazed by the past, focusing on the future. He stated, “I don’t focus on the past. I try to focus on the future. Such records are meant to be broken. It depends on the day how you play. I believe my team did well in the first two matches and will do well in the next matches as well.”
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