Adelaide: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq on Saturday urged his team to enjoy and "be positive" during their "high-pressure" World Cup opener against traditional rivals India at the Adelaide Oval here Sunday.
“Obviously India-Pakistan is always all about pressure. The best thing we can do is just enjoy the game, enjoy the atmosphere, go there, play your game, be positive, and that's the way how it is," Misbah said at the pre-match media conference.
"I think if you could just go there and play your natural game, that's how you can handle the pressure well, and that's my advice to the team.”
Asked if he is comfortable facing India in their opener, as Pakistan have never won a World Cup match against them, Misbah said, “You need to be ready to play against any team at any time if you really want to do well in any tournament. It's not really a question of playing India or any team up first. You need to be ready to play well.”
The 40-year-old added seniors like Mohammad Hafeez and Junaid Khan will be missed. But it is now important to just focus on the current players and to believe in them.
“Obviously senior players, experienced players and good performers are key to your team's success, but this is how life goes on. You need to replace people when there is injury," the Pakistan captain said.
"Unfortunately injuries are part and parcel of your life and games especially. You should just focus on what you've got, and you need to believe that whatever you've got, that is the best, and I think that's what we are thinking.”
The 40-year-old Misbah has scored 4772 runs from 155 One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
