New Delhi: A lot has changed in the Pakistan team since their Champions Trophy victory in 2017 but as survivor of that team Babar Azam is convinced that belief within the current group is as unshakeable as it eight years ago.

Then as a 22-year-old batter, Babar scored 46 from 52 balls in Pakistan’s 180-run win over India in the final in 2017, their last major global trophy.

As Pakistan are set to host the Champions Trophy, their first ICC tournament as hosts since the 1996 ODI World Cup, Babar said he is excited to see big-ticket cricket return to his country.

"I am very excited. We are going to have an ICC tournament in Pakistan after a very long time. As a player, I am very excited, and all the fans are excited,” he told the ICC on Tuesday.

"My primary memories of the 2017 final are Fakhar Zaman’s innings (of 114), the spell of Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali’s spell and the winning moment.

"For me, it was a new journey as I was a young player. Playing against India, that excitement and the nervousness was there but when we won, we enjoyed and celebrated.

"A lot has changed since the Champions Trophy was held in 2017. We have new players coming, we only have three or four players who were part of that winning team. But the belief, confidence and execution is the same."

‘No pressure’

Babar is determined to write a new chapter of glory in the annals of Pakistan cricket, in front of a demanding home crowd as they begin their campaign against New Zealand on Wednesday in Karachi.

Though his form has been patchy of late, Babar heads into the tournament as the top-ranked batter in ODIs and insisted to not be under pressure to perform.

"When you have responsibility as a senior player in any team and the team relies on you and has belief in you, then I take it in a positive way," he said.

"I try to give my best in every match. I try to perform so that Pakistan win and I enjoy my cricket. There is no pressure of anything.

"What has happened in the past is beyond us. We have discussed mistakes we have made and we have worked on them. So we will try not to do what we have done in the past."