Asia Cup 2022: "We Always Try To Play It Like A Normal Match" - Babar Azam On Pakistan's Games Against India

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said that there is a different kind of pressure going into the matches against arch-rivals, India, but his team always tries to play it like any other game.

Ahead of the clash against India in the Asia Cup 2022, both squads have been announced. While India stuck with the tried and tested players, the PCB sprung a few surprises including the axing of the pacer, Hasan Ali.

The last time the two teams met was in the T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE where the Men in Green defeated their rivals comprehensively by 10 wickets courtesy of a Babar and Mohammad Rizwan special.

“We always try to play it like a normal match, but yes, there is definitely different pressure [on us],” Babar said about the prospect of facing India in the upcoming tournament.

Speaking about the hype around the games in the past, former cricketer Sohaib Maqsood said the previous iterations of cricketers let the pressure get to them in the crucial games.

“The reason for the green shirts’ consistent defeat against India in World Cup matches is because the Pakistani team became overexcited (sic). However, in the recent past, our team has started treating Indo-Pak matches normally, and it has improved our performance too,” Maqsood said.

Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2022:

Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir.

Also Read – Asia Cup 2022: There Is No Need To Be Afraid Of Shaheen Afridi: Danish Kaneria Says Of India’s Top Three Facing Pakistan’s Star