New Delhi, February 14 – Pakistani batsman Babar Azam shared advice for young players on how to handle the pressure of facing India ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be held at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday. He said that they will perform better if they stay calm and ignore external distractions.
India and Pakistan have played against each other eight times in the T20 World Cup, with India winning seven times, while Pakistan has only won once (in 2021).
"We have played quite a few such matches, and we have learned that the calmer and more relaxed you are, the less you listen to external noise, the better it is. If you stay focused and straightforward, that helps a lot," said Babar in a video shared by ESPNCricinfo on X.
"From our experience, we also talk to the young players and tell them that yes, there is excitement, but the more you stay relaxed and tension-free, the better it will be for you," he added.
Babar played a key role when Pakistan last defeated India in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Babar, along with Rizwan, struck a 152-run partnership, which helped Pakistan win by 10 wickets.
The 31-year-old batsman spoke about the intensity of the match and how the expectations can go to a completely different level and said, "As we discussed, an India-Pakistan match is always high-intensity. The whole world is involved, all the fans, both countries, and as you said, it feels like the entire world is watching. It then goes to a different level, and the expectations also rise to a completely different level," said Babar.
Babar will be in the spotlight when the two teams clash on Sunday. He failed to impress in the first T20 World Cup 2026 match against the Netherlands, scoring just 15 runs off 18 balls.
He looked in good form in the next match against the USA, where he scored 46 runs off just 32 balls, including four boundaries and a six.
