Pakistan captain Babar Azam has opened up after his side suffered a huge defeat to India in the all-important ICC World Cup 2023 game in Ahmedabad.
India carried on to their fantastic form and recorded a seven-wicket win while chasing 192. Rohit Sharma showcased his batting skills once again and top-scored for the winning side with 86 off 63 balls. His rapid knock included 12 boundaries.
This was India’s record eighth win in as many matches against the arch-rivals in World Cup history.
Meanwhile, the Men in Green were 155-2 and faced a big collapse as they lost eight wickets for 36 runs only after being put into bat. The 28-year-old opined that the collapse cost the side and the total on the board was not good.
"We started well with a good partnership. We just planned to play normal cricket and build partnerships. Suddenly there was a collapse and we could not finish well. Not good for us, the way we started, our target was 280-290 but the collapse cost us. The total was not good," Babar said in the post-match ceremony.
He admitted his bowlers were not on the mark from the start while defending.
"We were not up to the mark with the new ball. The way Rohit played, was an outstanding innings. We just tried to take wickets, but that didn't happen," he added.
It must be noted India jumped to the first position of the ICC World Cup 2023 points table. With three wins in three matches, the home side continued their excellent form and maintained a positive 1.821 net run rate (NRR).
Meanwhile, Pakistan are at fourth with an NRR of -0.137. They will now play Australia on October 20.
- Babar Azam
