Asia Cup Final: ‘Just break their…,’ Shoaib Akhtar tells Pakistan how to beat India
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Asia Cup Final: ‘Just break their…,’ Shoaib Akhtar tells Pakistan how to beat India")
‘Just break their…,’ Akhtar tells Pakistan how to beat India in Asia Cup final Photograph: (AFP)
While India first beat Pakistan by seven wickets in their Group A game in Dubai, they again emerged victorious in their Super Four match by six wickets.
Bowling great Shoaib Akhtar has urged the Pakistan Team to surrender their usual mindset in their quest to beat arch-rivals India in the Asia Cup Final on Sunday (Sep 28) in Dubai. Despite losing twice to India in this tournament thus far, Pakistan reached the final after beating Bangladesh by 11 runs in their last Super Four game. With plenty to play for in this high-octane clash, the Rawalpindi Express provided his insights on how they can undo the previous two outcomes to stand tall against the Men in Blue in the match that matters the most.
While India first beat Pakistan by seven wickets in their Group A game in Dubai, they again emerged victorious in their Super Four match by six wickets. Seven days after that win, India will again face Pakistan for the third time this edition, in a first-ever Asia Cup final. On those two occasions, one Indian player troubled the Pakistanis – opener Abhishek Sharma. In the group stage game, the left-handed batter scored 31 during the chase and hit a match-winning 74 off 39 balls in the following clash in Super Fours. His style of play never allowed Pakistan to create any pressure on India.
Also read | ‘Deserving’ Pakistan ready for India challenge in first-ever Asia Cup final: Mike Hesson
Taking a note of this, Akhtar, while speaking on the 'Game On Hai' programme, said, "Come out of this mindset; keep their aura aside. Just break their aura. Just play with this mindset that you had in the match against Bangladesh. This is the kind of mindset you need. You don't need to bowl 20 overs; you just need to get wickets.”
‘They will be in trouble’
Team India has been tested in this tournament, but not against Pakistan. However, if the Men in Green were to do it in the crucial Asia Cup final, they must at least do one thing - remove Abhishek inside the first couple of overs, as suggested by the pace sensation himself.
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"Mark my words, if Abhishek Sharma gets out in the first two overs, they will get in trouble. The starts they are getting, they are going to struggle if Abhishek gets out early. It's not like that, Abhishek will not mistime the ball; he will do that; you just need to go for the kill. If you come out fighting, India will realise that we have to work hard for our runs," Akhtar said.
Meanwhile, speaking on Gautam Gambhir’s approach, Akhtar said the India coach will push his team to bring their A game on the day.
"I know Gautam Gambhir. He will tell his team that 'you need to bring your A game against Pakistan'. Pakistan will play the worst cricket, they will pick the worst side, but as soon as they reach the final, they play the best cricket, and they win the finals. It has happened so many times with us," Akhtar continued.
