The Pakistani skipper says India-Pakistan matches always bring high intensity, and they aim to give their all in every game, and they are looking forward to doing the same against India.
COLOMBO: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-August 31st, 2023) Captain Babar Azam expressed his team's confidence ahead of the Asia Cup clash against India, following their strong start with a win against Nepal.
Babar led the team with a remarkable 151 runs, while Iftikhar Ahmed's unbeaten 109 powered Pakistan to a commanding score of 342-6 at the Multan cricket Stadium.
The hosts then dismissed Nepal for 104 in 23.4 overs, marking their third-largest victory in one-day internationals. Babar, who earned the Player of the Match award for his 19th one-day century, stated, "India-Pakistan matches always bring high intensity. We aim to give our all in every game, and we're looking forward to doing the same against India."
Despite early setbacks with openers falling, Babar and Mohammad Rizwan (44) stabilized the innings before Iftikhar's contribution. Babar gradually accelerated his pace, achieving his century in 109 balls and later adopting a T20 style, scoring 51 runs off the next 22 balls.
Reflecting on his innings, Babar shared, "I initially focused on building an innings with Rizwan due to the challenging pitch conditions. Iftikhar played a fantastic innings when he joined in, and I encouraged him to play his natural game."
The Pakistan team will now travel to Pallekele to face India. India opted to play their matches in Sri Lanka instead of Pakistan due to strained political relations between the two countries.
