Pressure builds on, but Babar keeps calm

Ahmedabad, October 13

Remind Pakistan captain Babar Azam of the 7-0 scoreline in favour of India in their ODI World Cup rivalry, he politely mentions the 2021 T20 World Cup when Pakistan beat India.

“In 2021, we beat India in the T20 World Cup. I think we can do that here as well. All these streaks are made to be broken,” Azam said. “God willing, we will try to give our best tomorrow. Anything can happen on the day. I fully believe my team has done well in the first two matches, and will continue doing so in the coming matches,” he added.

Azam added that the India-Pakistan tie is always a high-pressure game and this match will also be very challenging for his young team. “There is more pressure for the match tickets than the match,” Azam joked in the pre-match press conference.

There was a time when performing badly in the India-Pakistan match used to have serious repercussions for the players. Leaders in the past were stripped of their captaincy. Azam was asked if he has some fears on that front. “Neither did I get the captaincy for one match, nor will I lose it because of one match,” the 28-year-old said. “I will get whatever Allah has written in my fate. We will just try to keep the plans simple, give ourselves the best opportunity to go and execute the plans, and most importantly enjoy the experience,” he added. — Gaurav Kanthwal

Trickle of Pak fans

Ardent Pakistan team fan Mohammad Bashir, popularly known as Bashir Chacha, has made it to Ahmedabad. Many others have not been so lucky. Bashir, hailing from Karachi but based in Chicago for 40 years, waved the Pakistan flag with full gusto, and evoked laughter among the locals after a light-hearted banter. Bashir, whose wife is an Indian, donned an attire with the team colours of India and Pakistan. Bashir is yet to secure a match ticket but is hopeful that things will work out eventually. A few journalists from Pakistan have also made it here, but one thing is for sure, the visitors will not have much support.