Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam pre-match press conference India vs Pakistan, 12th Match, ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023

India Captain Rohit Sharma and Pakistan Captain Babar Azam pre-match press conference (Hindi, Urdu & English) India vs Pakistan, 12th Match, ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023.

India Captain Rohit Sharma

India Captain Rohit Sharma pre-match press conference transcript

[Reporter:]

This is like the biggest rivalry in sports, India versus Pakistan. You're playing in Narendra Modi Stadium and you're playing to a predominantly Indian cricket fan base. At what point does home advantage actually become a disadvantage?

[Rohit Sharma:]

I don't think there is any disadvantage. You feel nice about playing in front of your home crowd. They get behind you no matter what the situation of the game is. My overall experience playing, not just in India, even outside India, we get massive support. So, I have so far never experienced where the crowd has gone against us or anything like that. So, I look at this as a good advantage, big advantage. But we know that eventually it boils down to playing good cricket. And whatever it takes to win the game, you've got to do that. So yes, you can use the support, but eventually, you've got to play good cricket to win the game.

[Reporter:]

Over 100,000 cheering must be the biggest number for a team. How will it be? Is it a kind of a big boost? And what have you told the boys how to go about it?

[Rohit Sharma:]

No, look, all the guys are quite used to playing in front of big crowds. So, like I just said, now it can only work in your favour. It cannot work against you. A lot of the guys in the team love a big crowd, the cheer, the noise in the ground. So yeah, the boys really enjoy it. Like I said, anywhere we go, people turn out in huge numbers. And that is good for the team and also good for the sport in general as well.

[Reporter:]

Rohit, more than the crowd, I think it will be all the other things that also matter for an India-Pakistan game. You had earlier spoken about just shutting out the noise. How do you do it? You've shut down your phones, you've not taken to Twitter?

[Rohit Sharma:]

I'm not on social media for past nine months now. So, everyone has their own way of dealing with it. Some people like it, some don't. But that's not my place to tell anyone how to do it. They have to work out their own way of dealing with these things. Like I said many times before, in the context of it, yes, it's a massive game. But for us, what is important is, we are playing an opposition tomorrow, which will be quality. So, we’ve just got to come against a quality opposition and play good cricket, which we've done in the last two games. And hopefully we can again show some consistency in our performance and play a good game of cricket.

[Reporter:]

Shubman had a hit at the nets yesterday, so how is he health wise and is he available for selection tomorrow?

[Rohit Sharma:] 

99% he is available. We'll see tomorrow.

[Reporter:]

You have been a very prominent member of the team in the last World Cup as well. How much has it changed in the last four years in terms of mental conditioning, technical preparation, and the World Cup? How much has it changed from 2019 to 2023?

[Rohit Sharma:]

Not a lot to be honest. I know what are the things that I need to do to find success on the field in terms of me as a player and then me as a captain. But speaking of just the player first, the batter, I think there are certain boxes for me that I have to tick before every game, just to get you that confidence. For me, preparation is very important. And I've spoken at the start of the World Cup that I need to prepare well to get into the tournament. And I thought I've done everything that I can from my side to prepare well for each game. Because we know every day is a new day, fresh day. And you start your fresh day as a new challenge. What you've done in the past, what you've done yesterday, doesn't really matter too much. You can take a bit of confidence from that, but like we know in sport, every day is a fresh day. You play different opposition. They bring you new challenges. And you just got to be ready to face that challenge and confront that challenge. So, I think for me as a batter, that is something that I've really focused on, getting myself ready in however way I can, and whatever it takes for me to get ready for any game. I have to do that. And I've done that really well mentally, understanding my game, which is very important. And I understood my game, what is my game, and what is the team's requirement from my game and from my ability. So, I think I try and do all of that to the best of my ability. If it comes out, it comes out. If it doesn't, it's OK. As long as I know that before entering the game, I have ticked all the boxes, I'm happy with that.

[Reporter:]

Is a toss going to be important because of the dew now?

[Rohit Sharma:]

Honestly, I don't know how much of a factor it is going to be, because in Delhi, we were expecting dew to come in. It didn't come. Chennai also, it was after probably 30 overs. So, you are done with 75% of the game by then. So, I don't think toss is going to play a massive factor. It is what the team is comfortable doing, whether it is chasing, posting a total, whatever that is. You know, whatever the team is comfortable doing, we try and do that.

[Reporter:]

With the success that you had in Chennai with three spinners, are you going to do the same tomorrow?

[Rohit Sharma:]

I don't know, honestly. I don't know. I still haven't looked at the pitch yet, but we are ready for whatever combination we want to play. That's the challenge going forward for us as a team, depending on what kind of conditions we play in. If there is a change or two, we need to make, we will be ready with that. And the guys have been informed very well in advance about these kind of changes. So, I don't think it's going to be any issues with the players. But if the requirement is there for us to play three spinners, we will play three spinners.

[Reporter:]

You've made a big picture of the game. What do you think is the advantage of playing in the match? Or is it a psychological advantage?

[Rohit Sharma:]

No, I don't think it's a psychological advantage. Because you have to play good cricket every day. So, it's important for us as a team that we, as I said, should not pay too much attention to what is already over. And, we should also pay attention to the fresh day, the fresh opposition. So, both the teams will start evenly. I don't think there is a favourite or an underdog. Both the teams are equal before they go into the game. Just about handling the pressure, dictating terms on your own way. All these things matter. So, I think for us it is more important how we are going into the game – now whether that is bowling first or batting - And then carrying that forward, getting that momentum forward is something that is crucial.

[Reporter:]

[question inaudible]

[Rohit Sharma:]

I have said this many times, that for us, tomorrow's match is a match against the opposition. We will see that match the same way we have seen the last two matches and the upcoming matches. There is no need to think more or less. We will prepare the way we prepare for every game. And the message will be the same for all the boys. There is no need to do anything else.

[Reporter:]

India has a 100% record against Pakistan in the World Cup. So, does that become something like a mill around the neck, an issue of pressure? Or does it become work in the normal way?

[Rohit Sharma:]

I'm not a person who looks into all those kind of stats. You want to play good cricket on that particular day to win the game. And that is what we will be focusing on, playing good cricket, and how we can play good cricket, which is understanding the conditions, what is required from the team's perspective and things like that.

[Reporter:]

Do you believe in rhythm? Our main batsmen have come into rhythm. Bowlers who you have tried have also come into rhythm. So, it's not about looking back, but do you believe in rhythm?

[Rohit Sharma:]

Yes, yes, of course. Rhythm is very important. If you look at it in other terms, it is called momentum. We have played 7 or 8 matches in India and before that in Sri Lanka and here too we played 2 matches of the World Cup. The bowlers have shown very good performances. Whether it is spinners or seamers, whenever they have got a chance to put pressure on the batsmen, they have done so. There were a few matches where we were put under pressure. Like Australia made 350 runs in Rajkot, we were put under pressure.

So, there are matches where you learn a lot of things. Our bowlers also learnt a lot from that game, what we did well and what we did not do well. Which we scored 350 runs. We talk about those things. How to improve in that.

And in batting, I will say that all the batsmen have scored runs. In the last 8 or 9 games we played. From the top to the 8th, all the batsmen have made runs. All in all, I think it's all about the rhythm. All the players are in a good rhythm. And it is always nice to go into any World Cup game with that kind of rhythm and that confidence.

So, I think, the momentum and rhythm that we are talking about, I think all the boys have it.

[Reporter:]

You have choice of both kind of wickets at this ground, black and red soil wickets. As a captain, as a team, what kind of wicket you prefer, black soil or a red soil, if given a choice, what would you prefer to play on?

[Rohit Sharma:]

See, that's the good thing about this team right now. It doesn't matter what wicket we play. We come here knowing that this is the wicket. I don't decide what wicket we need to play. Whether it's black, we've got guys who can adapt to those kind of conditions, red soil - of course, we've got again, you know, guys who can adapt to those kind of pitches because these are all Indian cricketers and they've played in all of these conditions.

So, I don't think, you know, as captain, what I prefer, I prefer playing in any kind of conditions because it is something that we have done really well over the last few years as a team and we've got the guys who can adapt to different kind of conditions as well. So that is something which gives us confidence as well going into any sort of conditions. So, whether it is a spinning pitch, seaming track, flat pitch, we've got the guys who can do the job for us.

Pakistan Captain Babar Azam

Pakistan Captain Babar Azam pre-match press conference transcript

[Reporter:]

I want to remind you that how many people reminded you of the World Cup. And the eighth match. How much hope do you have that the you will win and break that jinx?

[Babar Azam:]

I don't focus on the past; I try to focus on the future. Such records are made to be broken and I try to break them. I will try to give a good performance tomorrow, on the day. It depends on the day how you play. I believe my team did well in the first two matches and will do well in the next matches as well.

[Reporter:]

Is it a game where the result of the match plays psychologically very important part or what have you told your boys about it?

[Babar Azam:]

To be honest - yes, India Pakistan match is big game – it is a high intensity game. I've just told them to give us the best opportunity – give us whatever best you have, which you have been doing. That’s our belief as a player, as a team - we will execute our plans. And the main thing is to execute our plans. And believe in us - 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.

[Reporter:]

Coming into this World Cup, most of your boys didn't have the experience of playing in India. But you got two practice matches and two league matches. How do you see the conditions, how different are they from your home conditions? And how much will this experience you have gained coming into this big game help your team?

[Babar Azam:]

See, in Hyderabad we have played for about one and a half weeks. As far as I have noticed, every city has different behaviour and conditions - I noticed that every stadium has different conditions. It's not similar. Some have a better turn, some are more batting-friendly, some are more bowler-friendly. So, we have planned for each stadium to have different conditions. And the conditions of the stadium are different. We have planned accordingly. We get help when you live in a place and study the conditions – how it is in the first 10 overs, then after those 10 overs it behaves differently – based on that we make plans on how to play, how we want to execute our plans. We get a lot of help, definitely. We stay in one place and then study the wicket – that helps a lot.

[Reporter:]

It is said that pace bowlers come as hunting pairs. Okay. So, Naseem cannot be opposite Shaheen Afridi – so will you be feeling his absence and even did you have a word with Shaheen Afridi also in this matter?

[Babar Azam:]

First of all, we will miss Naseem Shah a lot. The way he was bowling in the Asia Cup, it was very impressive bowling - and a youngster, the way he was improving day by day, we miss him a lot as a team, as a captain.

As far as Shaheen is concerned, we know he is the best bowler. He is a champion and he knows and I believe he is a great bowler and he will give a good performance. It doesn't matter if you don't get a wicket in one or two matches - it's not a question mark on you, I don’t think that way nor does my team. We have full belief on him and he also has full faith on himself that he can do it, and he will.

[Reporter:]

Many Pakistani cricket fans will not be in the audience, their visas have not come through. You will be playing for a predominantly, overwhelmingly Indian cricket fans in Ahmedabad. How are you and your players dealing with that kind of pressure? And how do you think that's going to impact your game?

[Babar Azam:]

This is not pressure because we have played before a lot of time in front of a large crowd, in front of big crowds in MCG and all the big stadiums. Yes, there are also big stadiums around and yes, I think Ahmedabad will only be blue. So, if Pakistani fans were allowed, it would have been good for us. So, they would support us. But to be honest, when we arrived in Hyderabad, I feel there were a lot of supporters of the Pakistan team and I expect that here and we are looking forward to the match.

[Reporter:]

Just taking a cue from your last answer, in this tournament, there have been six, seven high-scoring, like 350-plus scores. And when pace is one of your strengths, what other conversation do you have on surfaces like this which kind of get challenging for the fast bowlers. Any conversation that you've had with Shaheen and others?

[Babar Azam:]

Look, here whatever matches till now have been high scoring matches. I think the margin of a bowler is very less. If you are bowling outside the stumps, margin is less for bowlers. So, I just ask my bowlers to just hit the length and bowl stump to stump. Yeah, that's it.

[Reporter:] 

What batsmen and what bowlers do you find challenging for tomorrow's match?

[Babar Azam:]

Challenging? The challenge is the match of Pakistan-India. You and the fans and the whole of Pakistan-India are waiting for this match. We are also very excited. I think both sides are trying to do their best. We are trying to see how we can take the wickets of their top-order players and how we can make runs against their bowlers. What matters is that we play our best game on the day.

[Reporter:]

[inaudible question]

[Babar Azam:]

Yes, you are right – we learn to handle pressure through experience. The more you go through it the better you know how to handle it.

As a youngster, you feel that when I played for the first time, there was a lot of pressure. But as you play, you share your experience with the senior players. You share how to play and how to handle pressure. So, it comes with experience.

The aim is to give a positive message to the youngsters or the team.

It's a big game, a Pakistan-India match. How to handle it? Keep yourself calm. Keep your eyes on the ball. When you are in the field, keep your eyes on the ball. When you are batting, keep your eyes on the ball. That's it. Don't think too much. Just keep yourself focused. Look at the ball and the batting time.

[Reporter:]

You talked about on-field pressure - how you deal with it. How do you deal with off-field pressure? It's a big match. A lot of people are calling and saying that you have to win – the number seven (7-0 to India in ODI World Cups) is not right. How do you deal with that?

[Babar Azam:]

I’ve not got calls for this – but yeah, I also got a lot of calls for tickets. Basically, people call me for tickets. We don't take pressure about this at all.

We were not able to execute in the past, but we changed it in 2011 [2021 T20 World Cup] and 2019 [Champions Trophy 2017]. We won against India in the World Cup. We hadn’t done that before, but we did it.

We believe that we can do it and we will go with full confidence.

Tomorrow – you never know, but we believe that we can do it. We will go with full confidence and give our best.

[Reporter:]

Did you try Gujarati food here?

[Babar Azam:]

Yes, we tried, but in the hotel – we are not going outside right now.

[Reporter:]

Here in England and New Zealand, it was seen that batting in the second innings was very easy. You guys also had a training session yesterday evening. Was there dew and do you think the toss can be a big factor tomorrow?

[Babar Azam:]

I think all the matches we have seen; toss is vital because under the lights the pitch behaves well. There was a little dew - but I don't know. We will ask the umpire if there will be a spray or not for dew. But last night there was dew. Under the lights, the weather plays a role.

[Reporter:]

This is a match where people in your country say – Lose to anyone, but don't lose to India. And in our country, they say – lose to anyone but don't lose to Pakistan. 

This is a match because of which captains’ lose their captaincy - what is the pressure of this? And what is your mandate to your players in your team meetings? What do you have to say to them?

[Babar Azam:]

One thing. I never worry that because of this match I will lose my captaincy. Whatever God has written for me – I will play. I will get what I deserve. I didn't get the captaincy because of a match and I will not lose it because of a match.

I believe that. Confidence is the same as we played in 2019 [2017 Champions Trophy] - T20, and also the World Cup.

Just simple plans. This is the best opportunity for you. Best opportunity to execute your game. Go and execute it. And the main thing is to enjoy

[Reporter:]

Your own record in ODIs against India is not that good. Is there a kind of bowling against India that you have struggled a bit? Is this in your mind before the match?

[Babar Azam:]

My World Cup till right now has not been as it should have been -  but hopefully you will see some difference in the next matches.

Against India, we only come face to face in the World Cup. There is a big gap. It's not that because of a bowler or... I say that I sometimes get out because of my mistake. I try to make as few mistakes as possible.

[Reporter:]

In the Asia Cup we saw that fielding is a major problem for Pakistan. Yesterday your entire team did fielding drills for quite a long time. There is a lot of preparation being done in that regard. What are you telling the players.

In Hyderabad after you won the match – we saw that many of your match winner players put up a tweet about it – so are the players enjoying besides the World Cup?

I'm talking about Rizwan; he tweeted something…

[Babar Azam:]

I think its better if we stick to talking about cricket – you are taking the conversation in another direction.

About fielding – yes, I think we were not up to the mark in all three matches. I accept that. If we want to win the tournament, we have to improve our fielding, and we are working hard on this – in our last practice session we did focus more on this.

The message is that – see, you are doing the batting and bowling, but fielding is an attitude. So, I just tell the players – show your  attitude, do your best in fielding because when you save the runs for the bowlers, the bowler will take wickets for you.

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