Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq has impressed upon his young side that belief in their own ability and positive thinking is the only way they can record their first Cricket World Cup win over arch-rivals India when the two teams open their campaign on Sunday.
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Pakistan have a healthy head-to-head record against their neighbours in One Day Internationals, winning 72 and losing 50, but in the quadrennial ICC showpiece event, they have lost all five matches to date.
And with both teams struggling with their ODI form in recent months, a win at the Adelaide Oval will go a long way in boosting the confidence of the Asian giants.
Speaking to the media on the eve of the match, the 40-year-old Misbah said: “Obviously, India‑Pakistan match is always all about pressure.
“The best thing we can do is just enjoy the game, enjoy the atmosphere, go out there, play your game, be positive, and that’s the way how it is. I think if you could just go there and play your natural game, that’s how you can handle the pressure well, and that’s my advice to the team.
“I think the way to go is that you just don’t take anything into the ground when you are playing against India. You don’t have to worry about what’s happening outside, what’s going on between the two countries. I think you just need to focus on your own game.”
Misbah said Pakistan are focused on making a good start with both bat and ball and that starting well in both innings would be key to obtaining a positive result.
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“Obviously, in these sort of games, you need to focus on every department. You need to bowl well, you need to field well, and you need to really bat well, especially in Australian conditions,” said the skipper.
“That’s the key. Especially in Australia, batting with the new ball and bowling with the new ball, that’s most important. You need to really put the opposition under pressure in those first 10, 15 overs, whether you are bowling or batting.”
Although Pakistan has lost two keys players to injury from the original squad of 15 – pacer Junaid Khan and opener Mohammad Hafeez – Misbah was taking the setback in his stride.
“Obviously they are senior players. Experienced players and good performers are key to your team’s success, but this is how life goes on. You need to replace people when there is injury,” he added.
“Unfortunately, injuries are part and parcel of your life and in sports especially. You should just focus on what you’ve got, and you need to believe that whatever you’ve got, that is the best.”
Misbah also dismissed suggestions that Pakistan would have done better to play another team before the derby, and added that his team are not thinking about India’s form, or the lack of it.
“I think we already played a lot of games before the buildup, so you need to be ready to play against any team at any time if you really want to do well in any tournament,” said Misbah.
“It’s not really a question of playing India or any team up first. You need to be ready. Whenever any team comes against you, you should be ready to play well.
“You have got to think positive whenever you are playing against any team. You always just think about winning first, and that is what we are thinking about. We are not worried about what India is doing, what their performances are.
“I think we need to focus on our strengths and we need to focus on our game.”
