LAHORE: Pakistan middle-order batsman Hasan Nawaz has spoken candidly about the intensity of the encounter against India, highlighting the passion and competitive edge in one of cricket’s fiercest contests.
In a recent interview with a local news channel, Nawaz admitted that matches against India naturally give him extra motivation and a more aggressive mindset.
However, he was quick to emphasize that modern day cricket is driven more by match situations than targeting specific opponents.
“When playing against India, there’s definitely an extra motivation. You naturally feel like you want to attack their bowlers. To be honest, I hate their bowlers. And inshallah, if we get a chance, we’ll try to do that,” Nawaz said.
The 23-year-old underlined the importance of situational awareness in high-pressure matches, noting that batting strategies are dictated primarily by the required run rate rather than individual bowlers.
“It doesn’t work like that. It all depends on the situation. For example, if the required run rate is 10, 12 or 15 overs, whoever the bowler is, try to score as many runs as possible,” he said.
“At this level, all the players are top quality and world class, so you prepare plans for everyone. You don’t have any particular bowler in mind,” he added.
Notably, the right-handed batsman made his T20 international debut for Pakistan against New Zealand in 2025.
Since then, he has played 25 matches, scoring 457 runs at an average of 20.77 and a strike rate of 154.39, including two fifties and a century.
He faced India only once in the short format and scored just five runs in that outing.