“I was not expecting it from India,” Babar Azam talks about LOVE he received in India during World Cup

Babar Azam was shocked with how much love the Indian fans gave him and to his team.

“I was not expecting it from India,” Babar Azam talks about LOVE he received in India during World Cup

Babar Azam (Image via ESPN)

In 2023, the Pakistan team traveled to India for the first time in seven years to participate in the 2023 ODI World Cup. They played majority of their matches in the cities of Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru. The Men in Green played nine matches and finished fifth, missing out on the semi-finals. 

Months later, Pakistan Captain Babar Azam featured in an interview with Zalmi TV, where he spoke about his experience in India. He was surprised by the love the Indian fans gave, adding that the fans appreciated their cricket.

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I was not expecting it from India. I was not expecting it at all. It was my first time in India and I had no knowledge about the country. It was a different experience. It was their love, Indian people gave us so much love, they appreciated our cricket.
Babar Azam said

Azam spoke about how fans cheered for them during practice matches as well. He called the experience of traveling to India different, with it being his first time in the nation. Whenever he talks to anyone about his time in India, he always mentions how much love they received in stadiums and airports.

How Pakistan played at the 2023 ODI World Cup 

The 2023 ODI World Cup was disastrous for the Pakistani cricket team, as they failed to reach the semi-finals for the third time consecutively. They finished 5th with eight points, two points behind New Zealand. 

Babar Azam
Pakistan Cricket Team (Image via ESPNcricinfo)

Their tournament began with wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, which was also the highest run chase in the history of the tournament. Their first loss came at the hands of India, where they had one of their worst collapses. The next match was another loss, as they lost to eventual champions Australia by 62 runs. 

Pakistan managed to beat Afghanistan, but were handed defeat the very next game by South Africa. They went on a small winning spree, defeating Bangladesh and then New Zealand on Duckworth-Lewis Method. Unfortunately all their chances to reach the knockouts ended as they lost to England in their last match. 

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