WATCH: PCB chief Zaka Ashraf spewed venom against India ahead of ODI World Cup 2023

Ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023, the Pakistan cricket team received a huge welcome in Hyderabad upon their arrival in India. Despite a heartwarming welcome and amazing hospitality, Pakistan Cricket Board chief Zaka Ashraf spewed venom against India.

A video of Ashraf going viral on social media in which he can be heard referring to India as 'Dushman Mulk'. "Players hain inka morale upar rehna chahiye jab ye kisi dushman mulk ya kisi bhi jagah khelne jaayen jahan wo competition ho raha ho, to they should go with the full support of the nation aur unko ek achche tarike se perform kar saken.” .

Here is Zaka Ashraf's viral video:

One side, Pakistan cricket team received enthusiastic welcome in India.

Other side, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Zaka Ashraf termed India as "Dushman Mulk" (enemy country).

So, no matter what we do, Pakistan's mentality & agenda is clear. pic.twitter.com/oUbz8MYsl5

— Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) September 28, 2023

It is worth noting that after arriving in India, Pakistani players were delighted with the hospitality and welcome they received in Hyderabad. Skipper Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan shared glimpses of their welcome and praised Indian fans. However, this kind of language used by the PCB president might inflate the divide between two border nations.

"I hope we will be back with the trophy", says Babar Azam

Earlier, before leaving for India, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam expressed his desire to win the ODI World Cup. Babar said that he is excited to play in India for the first time, and he hopes to come back with the trophy. "I hope we come back with a trophy this time. The top four is a small goal for us. We want to come out as winners. We did not have enough time to put together a camp before the World Cup because we had been playing for too long continuously", says Babar.

"We wanted to give the players a break so they could come back refreshed and with the hunger to win. You play well when you have that hunger", he further added. It's worth noting that Pakistan will start their campaign with two warm-up games against New Zealand and Australia on September 29 and October 3, respectively. They will face the Netherlands on October 6 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad in their first match.