ICC World Cup 2019 | We consider every match as if we are playing against India, says Sarfaraz Ahmed

Pakistan Cricket team have never won a One-day World Cup since 1992 which was their first World cup victory under the Captaincy of Imran Khan. Even though the team has managed to bag a T20 World cup, it still can’t show its best in ODI format where it is ranked sixth in the World ranking. The team is to start their campaign from May 31 against West Indies. Sarfaraz stated that he considers all the nine matches to be played in World Cup 2019 as matches against India and this thought would enable them to make their team charge into the semis. 

"For us, all nine matches are important so we will take every match as a match against India,” he said of Pakistan’s bitter rivals, who have won all six of their previous World Cup clashes.

However, Pakistan took India in the finals of Champions Trophy 2017 as Sarfaraz said that it would gain more advantage for his side.

"We have beaten India in a bigger event recently so we will have that advantage,” said Sarfaraz.

He added that the team comes into the mega event as underdogs and claimed that being an underdog would ease the pressure built on them.

“Look, when we go as favourites, then it’s a problem, but if we go as underdogs then other teams feel the danger, so I think being underdogs is good for us and eases the pressure,” the Skipper said.

Backing Sarfaraz’s thoughts, head coach Mickey Arthur stated that they are waiting for the journey they hoped for and their main focus will be to take the team into the semifinals.

"We leave on a journey for which we have worked really hard. We have a good team, both in talent and attitude. The initial thing is to qualify for the last four and take it from there, so I think we have the potential to certainly go all the way but before that, we have to play very well,” Arthur added.