India and Pakistan, the two fiercest rivals, have played against each other in the ODI World Cup on seven occasions since 1992, with the former emerging as the sole winner every time.
But as he gears up to lead Pakistan in the World Cup 2023 match against India on October 14, Babar Azam prefers not to dwell on the past.
“I try to focus on the future. Such records are made to be broken, and I try to break them,” Babar said on the eve of the marquee game at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
India secured a convincing win against Afghanistan in its previous match. Meanwhile Pakistan arrives on the back of the highest successful chase at the World Cup— it chased down 345 against Sri Lanka .
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“It depends on how you play on that particular day. I believe my team did well in the first two matches and will do well in the next matches as well,” Babar said.
“Yes, India vs. Pakistan is a high-intensity game. I’ve just told them to give their best and continue with whatever they have been doing. That’s our belief as players and as a team.
“The main thing is to execute our plans. Ahmedabad is a big stadium, and a lot of fans are coming. So, this is a golden opportunity for us to perform well in front of the fans and become heroes.”
Babar was quick to quash talks about the future of his captaincy hinging on this one match. “We have defeated India in the past, and we are confident about doing it again,” he said. “I don’t think the future of captaincy depends on winning or losing against India. I have not been given captaincy just for this match.”
Babar is confident of turning a corner after having scored just 15 runs in two outings.
“I have not been able to perform per expectations so far in the World Cup, but I’m hopeful that there will be an improvement in my performance against India,” he said.
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