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Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has exuded confidence ahead of the blockbuster clash against India in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
India will face Pakistan in their opening game of the showpiece event at the Dubai International Stadium on October 24. Babar feels Pakistan is better prepared since the Green Army has been playing cricket in UAE for the past three or four years. "We've been playing cricket in UAE for the past 3-4 years and we know the conditions really well. We know how the wicket will behave and the adjustments batters will have to make. On the day who plays the better cricket, wins the match. If you ask me, we will win," ICC quoted Babar as saying. Pakistan will depart on Friday morning for the UAE to feature in the T20 World Cup. This will be Babar's first marquee event in the shortest format. "I am very happy and proud to go to the T20 World Cup as a captain. We know the pressure and the high intensity of each game, especially the first one. Hopefully, we can win the match and carry the momentum forward," said Babar. Pakistan has not defeated India in a World Cup match across both ODIs and T20Is but Babar is not thinking about the past. "Your belief and confidence as a group matter a lot before a tournament. As a team, our confidence and morale are really high. We are not thinking of the past but the future," said Babar. "We are preparing for that. I am fully confident that we are well prepared and will play good cricket on the day," he added. Former Australia batsman Matthew Hayden and former South Africa seamer Vernon Philander have joined Pakistan's coaching staff ahead of the T20 World Cup. "Hayden and Philander bring a lot of experience. Our attempt will be to learn from them as much as we can and quickly. The boys have the ability to absorb quickly and mix with them," said Babar. "You can see Philander has already started working hard with the bowlers and you can see the past record, bowlers win you the tournament. Hasan Ali was our best bowler in the Champions Trophy. He will take the bowling line-up alongside him," he added. Pakistan will lock horns with West Indies on Monday and South Africa on October 20 in their warm-up matches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. (ANI)
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