Babar Azam stirs hornet’s nest, calls Pakistan’s 2021 win over India in T20 World Cup his ‘best memory’ as captain

The rivalry between India and Pakistan has turned in India’s favor in recent times, with India emerging victorious in most of the matches in both the white-ball formats. This disparity was revealed once again at the Men’s Asian Cup earlier this year; here Suryakumar Yadav’s India won all three matches, including the final held in Dubai. But just four years ago, Pakistan managed to hold its own and even pull off a few surprises.

The most notable upset occurred in the 2021 T20 World Cup when Babar Azam-led Pakistan stunned fans and analysts alike by stunning Virat Kohli-captained India with a ten-wicket victory. Under Babar’s leadership, Pakistan also won against India in the 2022 Asia Cup and reached the final of the T20 World Cup in the same year.

Babar, who recently returned to Pakistan’s T20I squad after a gap of eight to nine months, regards the World Cup victory over India as one of the “best memories” of his captaincy.

He felt that this win four years ago was the first time Pakistan had defeated India in a World Cup match.

“Beating India means a lot to me. 2022 (2021) is the year we beat India in the T20I. For me, that was one of the best memories I have. I beat India in the World Cup for the first time as Pakistan captain,” Babar told Kevin Pietersen on the English major YouTube show The Switch. “India-Pakistan is the next stage. It’s a very big match,” he added.

In this memorable match, Pakistan successfully chased down the target of 152 runs without losing a single wicket and finished the match with 13 balls to spare; Babar and Mohammad Rizwan remained on 68 and 79 respectively. While India was eliminated in the group stage of the tournament, Pakistan advanced to the semi-finals.

Pakistan’s wait for the ICC trophy has now stretched to eight years; Their last title was the Champions Trophy in 2017, where they also defeated India in the Oval final under the captaincy of Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Babar stated that his goal is to win the ICC title for Pakistan and he is determined to do everything possible to realize this dream.

“I want to win an ICC trophy. We were in the final but lost. So I am working hard on my fitness and skills. I am trying to get fitter. My body is behaving differently now but I am still sharp,” he said.

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