(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] Pakistan captain Babar Azam, ahead of the must-win World Cup 2023 game against England at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, shared his impressions of his first visit to India. Despite the team’s precarious position in the tournament, Babar expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support received from Indian fans.
The journey for Pakistan in the ongoing ODI World Cup has been tumultuous with initial victories against Netherlands and Sri Lanka giving way to subsequent setbacks. Criticism has not spared the skipper, with Babar accumulating 320 runs in nine innings at an average of 40, contributing to the team’s underwhelming performance.
Despite the shattered dream of clinching the World Cup, Babar commended the Indian crowd for their unwavering support during both highs and lows.
“To be honest – first I got a lot of love from India, a lot of support. Not only me, the entire team. Of course, I was not able to get a good finish. My goal was to get a good finish in the batting. I didn’t have a goal to score 50 or 100,” Babar said as quoted.
“The main thing was to make the win the team. The performance that helps the team, not my individual performance. I played slow, I played fast, depending on the situation. I play according to the situation and according to what my team need,” he added.
Furthermore, he acknowledged the unfamiliarity with Indian conditions initially but highlighted the team’s swift adaptation through rigorous practice.
“We came here for the first time, we didn’t have the awareness of how to take it, but we adapted as soon as possible in practice, that we will have to face it like this. So, we faced this thing, we took it and planned accordingly that how do we bat here. Because as I said, in the middle and end you get runs. In the middle overs when the ball is old you struggle a bit – as a batsman,” Babar concluded.