Pakistan’s Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Usman Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi and others during a practice session ahead of a One Day International (ODI) cricket match of the ICC Champions Trophy between India and Pakistan, at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, in Dubai, UAE, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (PTI Photo)If one thought Pakistan coming to Dubai could ease the pressure of them playing in front of home fans, in a must-win contest against India, their head coach Aaqib Javed seemed more intent on treating Sunday’s clash as ‘beyond a game’. He wouldn’t stop there, and even claimed: ‘If you remove this pressure, what’s left in the Pakistan-India game? Passion and pressure is what is needed to show a player his performance.”Already facing pressure of expectations of doing well in the first ICC event they are hosting in 29 years, they go into the game against India with the added pressure of this being a must-win fixture.“There is no game you can say you play without pressure. The first game we lost, okay. New Zealand is a very strong team. They have good balance… After losing a game there is another good chance for you to win here and win the third one and make it to the semis. It is India and Pakistan. It doesn’t matter if it is a knockout or whatever. It’s beyond a game and that’s the beauty of India-Pakistan cricket. And if you look at the positive, I think that is the best time and best chance for any individual or a team to make a mark,” Javed, who has been part of several Indo-Pak classics in Sharjah, said.With high stakes, Pakistan called on their former player and coach Mudassar Nazar to pass on his inputs. Nazar, who resides in Dubai, and has been instrumental in the development of several players in their squad during his time as the head of their cricket academy, oversaw the two practice sessions alongside Javed. “At Dubai, India will start favourites because of the support. These conditions are not new to Pakistan, it was all about just giving confidence with your inputs. Back home, every player is an expert and has an opinion which adds to the pressure. Here, they can still beat India,” Nazar said.And just as they were wrapping up their training session, former players Wahab Riaz and Mohammed Hafeez would pay a visit to the middle. A little later, the PCB Chair Mohsin Naqvi, who is also their interior minister, would also drop in.What is evident is how far Pakistan have fallen off the perch in ODIs, a format they used to dominate in the 80s and 90s. Apart from the dwindling batting talent, their fitness and fielding levels have been a throwback to a different era. “If you ask me, 50 over cricket has become more challenging. After 35-40 overs, you have to improve your fitness level. If you focus on T20 matches the entire year — you don’t go beyond 30 overs. So, I think fitness is the biggest challenge,” Javed said.Their biggest issue remains with their batting and whom they will turn to for inspiration. The batting, other than Fakhar Zaman, has lost the firepower at the top, with Imam-ul-Haq summoned out of a red-ball tournament to join the squad. If not Imam, they could hand a cap to Usman Khan, their reserve wicketkeeper in the squad. Their premier batsman Babar Azam is reeling under pressure which leaves it to the middle-order that comprises of Muhammad Rizwan, Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah to carry their batting.© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd