Pakistan go into the quarter finals of the Under 19 World Cup in New Zealand in a buoyant mood, having topped their initial qualifying group with victories over West Indies, Papua New Guinea and a last over victory against Bangladesh.

Normally you would say that any quarter final in a World Cup is an important game, and of courses this match is no different, but the added twist to Saturday's game is that the match in Lincoln is against arch rivals India.

The Indian Under 19 team who were widely regarded as favourites for the World Cup have rather stumbled into the quarter finals after a surprising 31 run defeat by their English counterparts in their last group match. The defeat to England meant that the Indians qualified for the quarter finals in second place and meet Pakistan in the tournament earlier than they would have probably hoped to.

Speaking exclusively to PakPassion.net Pakistan Under 19 captain Azeem Ghumman said that he was really looking forward to the match against India and that team selection would depend on the conditions at Lincoln.

"It should be a very good match and there is nothing quite like an India versus Pakistan match at any level. Fortunately the Indian team have been televised twice already in this tournament, so we have been able to watch them and learn a bit about some of their players".

Azeem who together with Mohammad Babar and Ahmed Shehzad has formed the backbone of a solid batting line up in New Zealand added "The Indian team in this tournament is a relatively new one, but Ahmed Shehzad has played against some of their boys previously, so hopefully we can utilise his knowledge".

Pakistan who have played all their previous matches in Palmerston North will face the Indian opposition at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln and Ghumman stated that team selection would be made once the wicket has been assessed closely. "We'll have a look at the wicket and see what the conditions are like before we pick the team. We have seen in this tournament so far that the slower bowlers have been very effective in terms of wickets and economy. The quicker bowlers for most of the teams have been less economical".

Ghumman was full of praise for Mohammad Babar Azam who has caught the eye with the bat. "Yes Babar has done very well in this tournament and I hope he can continue his good form and he can receive good support from the rest of our batsmen".

Ghumman who plays for Sui Southern Gas in Pakistan's domestic cricket added "I'm enjoying captaining the team and the boys are giving me very good support. The coach, manager and the backroom staff have also been very supportive and we are a very close unit. I hope we can perform well and please our fans and do our country proud on Saturday and in the rest of the tournament".

Saturday's quarter final commences 10.30 local time and is sure to be one of the feature games of the Under 19 World Cup. The remaining quarter finals feature England versus West Indies, South Africa versus Sri Lanka and New Zealand versus Australia.