Ramiz Raja reveals his last-minute conversation with Babar Azam before India match: 'I told him to only dream about...'

Pakistan Cricket Board chief, Ramiz Raja expects the ultimate prize from Babar Azam as he revealed his last-minute conversation with the captain before the India game.

Published on: Oct 23, 2022, 07:42:35 IST

By HT Sports Desk

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

The most awaited day of the year for cricket fans has finally arrived as Pakistan will take on Team India in their 2022 T20 World Cup opener at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Pakistan had beaten India in their World Cup opener 12 months back in the UAE, a historic win which had set the platform for their impressive unbeaten run in the group stage. The Babar Azam-led side would aim to emulate their heroics a year later. But for the Pakistan Cricket Board chief, Ramiz Raja, he expects the ultimate prize from Babar as he revealed his last-minute conversation with the captain before the India game.

This will be the 13th time Pakistan will face India in a World Cup match. And their only win against the Men in Blue had come last October in Dubai. Following the 10-wicket win against India, Pakistan scripted an unbeaten run in the group stage to reach the semis, where they were eventually halted by eventual champions Australia.

ALSO READ: 'Apne players ko sar pe chara liya': Afridi's fiery reply to ex-IND player's 'Rizwan bara naam nehi lag rahe...' remark

Ahead of the start of Pakistan's campaign in Australia, Ramiz, in conversation with Geo.TV, revealed what he told Babar.

“I have told captain Babar Azam to only dream about winning T20 World Cup. I have asked Babar Azam there should be kept no other option in mind other than bringing the trophy of T20 World Cup back home,” he said.

"World Cup is a mind game. It is a task of not losing courage and a fulfilment of a dream — which is to win a World Cup," he added.

“The other team can also play well some day or the weather might play a role [in the match]. But fans must support the team, as it is the best to have been sent to [play] the field.”

Ramiz also shared some tips with Babar on how tackle Australian conditions. Back in 1992, Pakistan had scripted a World Cup win on Australian soil and Ramiz was part of that team.

"In Pakistan, players get the time to play shots, but that's not the case in Australia," he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
HT Sports Desk
At HT Sports Desk, passionate reporters work round the clock to provide detailed updates from the world of sports. Expect nuanced match reports, previews,reviews, technical analysis based on statistics, the latest social media trends, expert opinions on cricket, football, tennis, badminton, hockey,motorsports, wrestling, boxing, shooting, athletics and much more.Read More

Get the Cricket Live Score! including IPL Matches and track ICC rankings shifts, Cricket Schedule, and Players Stats along with detailed score profiles of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill.