IND vs PAK: Shoaib Akhtar Says Pakistan Will Hammer India In Asia Cup If...

The last time India played Pakistan in an international, back in T20 World Cup, they beat Men In Green in a thriller. Shoaib Akhtar still feels Pakistan can hammer India if they bat first.

Babar Azam and Virat Kohli. (Source: ANI/Twitter)

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar made a shocking statement ahead of the hugely-awaited India vs Pakistan clash in Asia Cup 2023. The cricketer came out with yet another controversial comment on India while speaking over his YouTube channel. Akhtar believes Pakistan are going to hammer India. It is true that Pakistan have narrowed the gap between them and India, in terms of quality, but Men In Blue still remain one of the best ODI teams in the world. To say that Pakistan will 'hammer' India has not gone down well with India fans, who are slamming Akhtar in the YouTube comments. 

Akhtar argued in the video that Pallekele track is not conducive to batting and the ball is not going to come out nicely on to the bat. Akhtar said that If Pakistan win the toss and bat first, they will hammer Indians in this game. "If Pakistan win the toss and bat first, they will literally hammer India. However, if India win the toss, Pakistan could be in trouble because the wickets haven't settled yet and the ball isn't coming on nicely under the lights," Akhtar stated on his YouTube channel.

Akhtar has also praised Pakistan captain Babar Azam for building a mature cricket team after he took over the captaincy duty. He had previously said that more pressure will be on the Indians as their media builds unnecessary pressure on them. At the same time, he feels that Pakistan have played enough high-pressured matches against India and they will not feel that much stress playing India. "There is an ongoing debate surrounding Babar Azam's captaincy. It was after he gave his spinner the last over on a few occasions. However, I am sure he would have learned and will be better with his calculations. Babar Azam and his team are very mature. They have faced India multiple times now in high-pressure matches. I don't think there will be a lot of pressure on them," Akhtar concluded.

While there is a crazy build up of the India vs Pakistan clash, all of it could fizzle out due to rain.  Kandy, where the match is to take place, is expected to see spells rain throughout the day, especially in the afternoon when the game starts. The fans are praying to the rain gods so that the game could happen as India and Pakistan cricket teams rarely meet in international cricket these days.