Birmingham: Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed is confident that his team will be able to maintain their superior record in the Champions Trophy against arch rivals India as they gear up for a showdown here June 4.
Unlike the 50 overs and T20 World Cups, Pakistan have a positive record against India in the competition – winning two and losing one of their previous three meetings.
“We have a better record against India in the Champions Trophy, not in other competitions. We are looking to maintain that against them and it’s very exciting,” Sarfraz said at his pre-tournament press conference here Friday.
“We have nothing to lose, we just want to play our natural game. We have just played a very good series in the West Indies, where the players performed very well. We are very hopeful of winning this tournament, and there can be no better way to start than by beating India,” he added.
Sarfraz said that the side have made improvement in one area which let them down in the Windies. “Against the West Indies, we had a big fielding downslide, there were quite a few dropped catches but we have made an improvement so we are happy with that,” he pointed out. “Since then there has been upswing, the boys are keen not to make the same errors they did there,” he added.
Having taken over captaincy only in February, this marks the first major tournament at the helm for Sarfraz. He boasts a positive record so far, winning three of his four matches as captain, coming from behind to secure his first series win as skipper in the West Indies.
“This is my first major ODI tournament as captain. I’m definitely very hopeful and excited about the competition. My aim is to play my natural game, not play under any pressure and just to do the basics right as I do during domestic games in Pakistan,” Sarfraz signed off.
Press Trust of India
