Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has recalled the advice he gave to his players ahead of the PAK vs IND Champions Trophy 2017 final.
The Men in Green lifted the trophy in 2017 when they beat India by 180 runs in the ultimate game of the tournament.
Recalling Pakistan’s campaign in the tournament, former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed said that the team made a remarkable comeback after losing the group stage PAK vs IND game.
The archrivals faced off in the group stage games where India defeated Pakistan by 124 runs (DLS method).
“In 2017, we played India in our first match and were soundly beaten by 124 runs. It was my first game as captain and we were poor in all areas. Afterwards, we had a great team meeting, and some of our senior guys – Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez – all said their piece. You need those types of characters around you,” Sarfaraz Ahmed said.
However, the Men in Green kept their chances alive in the Champions Trophy as they beat South Africa and Sri Lanka in the following games.
The side then faced England in the semi-final and won the game by eight wickets to set up a PAK vs IND final at the Oval.
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Speaking of his mindset and his advice to his players before the game, the former Pakistan captain said that he told his players to ‘relax’ and ‘forget the result.’
“I was just confident our level was very high and my message to the players ahead of the final was to relax. We knew we had beaten some of the best teams, so India was nothing we had not seen. I told the guys to relax, forget the result and just give 100%. The rest is history,” Sarfaraz Ahmed added.
Pertinent to note here that the two sides are set to face off in the highly-anticipated game of the Champions Trophy 2025 on February 23 in Dubai.
According to the former Pakistan captain, the PAK vs IND game will be huge, however, he advised the Pakistan players to block the outside noise.
“Whenever we meet, it is a special occasion and there is so much hype and pressure around it. But as players, you need to stay calm, try and block that noise out and just play with the same intensity as you would play Australia or any other team,” he said.