How big an occasion it is for the Pakistani team to seek a win against India came through in their coach Mickey Arthur's pre-match Press conference.
“I’m telling our players in the dressing room, you could be a hero tomorrow. Your careers are going to be defined by a moment in the game. You do something incredible tomorrow, you'll be remembered forever. Our kind of mantra is how do you want to be remembered? We've got 15 incredible cricketers in that dressing room, and we keep stressing to them, how do you want to be remembered? You're the Class of 2019. What are they going to say about you in history? And tomorrow presents an unbelievable opportunity for these guys to really make a mark," he said.
He also talked about the youngest team in the World Cup yet to put their three disciplines together. Which means, Pakistan has had a bad match with fielding, something that their skipper blamed the defeat against Australia on; when their bowlers performed, their batsmen fizzled out. And the rest went down the drain due to rain.
In their opener, they were bowled out for 105 by the West Indies and lost their fourth match in the tournament to Australia by 41 runs. They carry 3 points from four matches which has pushed them into familiar do or die corner. In four matches played thus far, one was rained out and only one won, the one against the hosts England.
"The opportunities have all been there. We are yet to grab them," Arthur said, hoping that it all comes together on Sunday when they meet eternal rivals India in their bid to stay in the tournament. Only, Arthur knows but ignores the fact that India has moved to the top of the ladder in cricket even as Pakistan has struggled to stay in the big game with a convulsive administration and a high attrition rate, not to mention the squeezed resources, as compared to India which has gained superpower status with a cash-rich Cricket Board.