"There Was No Overconfidence": Pakistan Skipper Babar Azam Recalls Win Over India In 2021 T20 World Cup

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam praised his teammates as he opened up on the side's incredible 10-wicket victory against arch-rivals India in the 2021 T20 World Cup held in the UAE and Oman. Babar lauded the "team effort" showcased by the side in a high-pressure game and explained how the team didn't show nerves or "overconfidence" against a world class side like India. "I can't explain that moment. We were not thinking about the past record, trying to stay in the present. The way we started and finished had a different feel and buzz to it.. and the response from fans was amazing too. We hadn't registered a win (against India) in the World Cups and Allah helped us change that. It was a team effort. We had belief... there was no overconfidence," captain Babar said in a PCB Podcast on YouTube.

India were overpowered by an inspired Pakistan side that stepped on to the field with an attacking mindset.

Pakistan ended the group stage without registering a single loss but faltered in the semis against eventual world champions Australia.

Speaking on the disappointment of not finishing with a World Cup trophy, Babar lamented certain "mistakes" that cost the team but stressed on the fact that they will certainly learn from them and perform "better" the next time.

"We had put in the effort... we had dominated the World Cup. But unfortunately, we couldn't win that match. We made mistakes as a team but we need to learn from it and deliver a better performance next time," he added.

Babar, however, heaped immense praise on his side playing "positive cricket" throughout the event which helped them leave a long-lasting impact.

"Doesn't matter how you start when you finish well. We finished the year on an outstanding note. We played some positive cricket throughout the year and tried to leave an impact. We've had different Man of the Match contenders for every match. Unfortunately, we bowed out of the T20 World Cup but we did learn from that defeat. We have had discussions on the mistakes and will try to improve day by day," added Babar.

Topics mentioned in this article

Pakistan Cricket Team India Cricket Team Babar Azam Cricket ICC T20 World Cup 2021