At the captains’ meet on the eve of the 2023 World Cup, Babar Azam lamented the lack of Pakistan fans at the tournament.

Strained political relationship between the two nations have long affected cricket contests between India and Pakistan. There has not been a bilateral series between the two sides since Pakistan toured India for three ODIs and three T20Is in 2012/13.

However, the arch rivals have faced each other in all multi-nation tournaments in that time – at the Asia Cup, the ODI and T20 World Cups, and the ICC Champions Trophy.

Before the 2023 World Cup, Pakistan last toured India in 2016, for the T20 World Cup, where they played twice in Kolkata (including their match against India) and twice in Mohali.

There was, thus, expected buzz around Pakistan’s arrival in India. They reached Hyderabad amidst much fanfare, where they played both their warm-up matches.

In these, they lost to New Zealand by five wickets, and to Australia by 14 runs, though most of their batters got much-needed game time.

After the warm-up matches, Pakistan captain Babar flew out to Ahmedabad, venue of the tournament opener, for the usual photo-ops and press conference of the World Cup captains.

When asked about the Pakistan team’s experience in India, Babar responded: “The hospitality at Hyderabad has been exceptional, from the airport to the hotel to the venue. We’ve loved the reception here, but would have liked our own fans here too. I hope we receive support at every venue from the local fans.”

Pakistan play their first two matches at Hyderabad, against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, before returning to Ahmedabad for the much-anticipated clash against India on October 14. They also play two matches in each of Bengaluru, Chennai, and Kolkata.

Pakistan won their only World Cup in 1992. They have not reached the final since 1999, and the semi-finals since 2011.

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