Ahead of the ICC Men's World Cup 2023, the Pakistan cricket team set foot on Indian soil for the first time since 2016 on Wednesday (September 27). The Babar Azam-led side took a flight from Lahore to Dubai from where they had a connecting flight to Hyderabad which is the venue which is set to both their warm-up fixtures and their first two fixtures in the round-robin stage. The Men in Green received a grand welcome in India with several cricket lovers chanting the names of their players.
Several players of the Pakistan playing contingent took to social media to react to the reception in India. While skipper Babar Azam shared an Instagram story in which he wrote: "Overwhelmed with the love and support here in Hyderabad!", star Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi mentioned: "Great welcome thus far!". Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammed Rizwan took to X to write a message. He wrote: "Amazing reception from the people here. Everything was super smooth. Looking forward to the next 1.5 months."
"All of us are proud of travelling for the World Cup. Although we have not played in India before, we are not taking too much pressure. We have done our research and we have heard the conditions are similar to how they play out in other Asian countries. It is quite an honour for me to travel as the captain this time around, I hope we come back with a trophy this time," Babar had said at a press-conference ahead of the team's departure to India.
Pakistan have to play a warm-up match against New Zealand at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday (September 29). Their second warm-up game is scheduled against Australia on October 3. The begin their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands at the same venue on October 6.