Pakistan batter Babar Azam has shared advice for youngsters to handle the pressure of facing India ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, saying you’ll do better when you stay calm and ignore the outside noise.
India and Pakistan have faced off in the T20 World Cup eight times so far, with India emerging victorious on seven occasions, while Pakistan managed to win only once (in 2021). "We have played quite a few such matches, and we’ve learned that the calmer and more relaxed you keep yourself, the less you listen to outside noise, the better it is.
If you stay straightforward and focused, that helps a lot," said Babar in a video shared by ESPNCricinfo on X. "From our experience, we talk to the youngsters as well and tell them that yes, there is excitement, but the more you stay easy and tension-free, the better it will be for you," he added.
Babar played a key role when Pakistan last defeated India in a T20 World Cup in 2021. Babar, along with Rizwan, struck a 152-run partnership which helped Pakistan register a ten-wicket win. The 31-year-old batter spoke about the intensity of the match and how the expectations can go to a completely different level and said, "As we discussed, an India–Pakistan match is always high-intensity.
The whole world is involved, all the fans, both countries, and as you said, it feels like the entire world is watching. It then goes to a different level, and the expectations also rise to a completely different level," said Babar. Babar will be in the spotlight when the two teams clash against each other on Sunday.
He failed impress with this bat in the first T20 World Cup 2026 match against the Netherlands, scoring just 15 runs off 18 balls. He looked in good touch in the next match played against the USA, where he scored 46 runs off just 32 balls, including four boundaries and a maximum.