LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam is optimistic about Pakistan’s chances against arch-rival India in the opening match of the T20 World Cup on October 24.
Talking to sports journalists during a virtual press conference on Wednesday, Babar, who is among top notch batsmen of the world, said, “Our morale is high and we want to make a positive start to the tournament by winning the opening game against arch-rival India on October 24 in the United Arab Emirates.”
Ahead of the much-awaited fixture, the Pakistan captain said that gaining momentum at the start of the international tournament will boost the team’s confidence. “We are preparing hard during the team camp at the National High Performance Centre. The players are in good shape and training hard under the able guidance of national coaching staff. We are eager to start well against India, which will definitely boost the entire team’s morale ahead of important World Cup matches.”
He dispelled the impression that the Pakistan team will be under added pressure while facing India.
“It will be an important game of the mega event for us and playing any match under extra pressure is never a wise thought. We will compete in the World Cup with undying spirit and collective efforts to achieve our set goals in the event in a gradual manner,” he said in a confident manner.
To a question, he said, no team can be taken as an easy opponent in a competition like World Cup, adding that extra ordinary efforts and hard work are needed to outplay any opponent and keep the winning ways intact.
Talking about the playing order for the game, the right-handed batsman said, “The batting order depends on conditions and it can be changed accordingly. According to our plan, I will open the innings with Muhammad Rizwan but there can be a change as per the conditions.”
Babar also expressed the importance of having experienced players like Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez in the Pakistani squad, saying, “Although we have mixture of young and experienced players in the national squad but both Malik and Hafeez are match-winning players and their experience can help us on the field as well.”
Earlier, South African Lance Klusener, during a virtual presser, had said that the Pakistani team has the ability to upset arch-rival India in the T20 World Cup clash to be held in Dubai on October 24.
He termed the match as a huge event, saying it is a match which fans cannot miss, especially in big competitions like T20 World Cup.
