'Had said Pakistan will ruthlessly trounce India': Shoaib Akhtar on Babar & Co's thrilling win in Asia Cup
Shoaib Akhtar slammed India's team selection after their 5-wicket defeat against Pakistan.
Pakistan bounced back to beat India by five wickets in their first Super Four clash in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday. After losing their opener in the group stage, Pakistan made it even as they clinched a last-over thriller in Dubai after successfully chasing down the target of 182 runs with one ball to spare.
India had a strong total to defend but Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan once again showcased his class as he played a brilliant knock of 71 runs off 51 deliveries and combined with Mohammad Nawaz (42 off 20 balls) to set up a thrilling victory for his team.
Reacting to India's five-wicket defeat, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar said he had already predicted Rohit Sharma & Co's thrashing at the hands of the Men in Green ahead of their Super Four clash. Akhtar made some cocky comments on Pakistan's win and claimed he had told his Indian fans to not get too happy after their win in the group stage.
“Meine Indians ko bhi kaha, bahut sare doosto ko bhi kaha tha ki itna khush hone ki zaruurat nahi hai, Pakistan will make a strong comeback, meine video mein bhi bola tha Pakistan ruthelessly marage Hindustan ko. (I told Indian fansand my friends to not get too happy as Pakistan will make a strong comeback and I had said in an earlier video that Pakistan will ruthlessly trounce India)," Akhtar said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Also Read: Virat Kohli's message to his critics: 'I have played 14 years and it doesn't happen by chance'
Akhtar also went on to slam India's team selection for the game and said Rohit Sharma, and the Indian team management looked 'confused'. India had to make two forced changes in the playing XI on Sunday as all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out due to a knee injury, while fast bowler Avesh Khan was down with fever and couldn't feature.
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How fast can the Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet really fly?
)
Did China ask its people 'not to respond to aliens'? Origin of bizarre claim on social media
)
MS Dhoni-CSK Fallout? Report claims failed stake sale talks triggered rift
)
Scientists reveal the SAFEST COUNTRY when catastrophe strikes the planet
)
Serial killer on the loose in South Korea's Jeju Island? Fourth body found in three days as more than a dozen people go missing
)
2/3rd of glacier detached, collapsed: ISRO satellite images reveal what triggered Nepal floods
)
Trump once again claims without him there would be ‘no Israel right now’
)
Foreign espionage attacks against German companies surge to 37%, Bitkom report reveals
)
Blake Lively wins partial legal fee from Justin Baldoni after $8M request
)
Why is Pakistan deploying Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones near India border?
)
'OH MY GOD! We've found other agents!': Investigators discover not one or two, almost 700 OpenAI AI agents went rogue, hacked Hugging Face
)
Lunar eclipse 2026: India timings, places to see and more. August Blood moon factsheet
)
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on global outreach tour
)
Both pilots killed as training aircraft crashes in Lucknow – What we know
)
16-year-old charged with preparing terror attack on kindergarten in Norway
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How the S-400 protects itself from enemy attacks
)
Nepal floods: Over 165 dead, 400 missing; US, India, China, World Bank mobilise aid
)
India's multi-layered watch: The new surveillance war
)
5 doomsday planes spotted in US skies hours after CIA director's secret trip to Russia
)
9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to finally face trial in 2028, nearly 27 years after horrific attacks
)
Islamabad hospital fire: What we know about one of the biggest facility that housed Imran Khan
)
Workers run for life while filming Nepal flash flood: Scary new visuals emerge from Rasuwa
)
Russian military planes enter South Korean air defence zone amid rising tensions with North Korea: What's happening
)
Ron Weasley Is Back! Rupert Grint set to return to Harry Potter universe on Broadway
)
400-year-old 'vampire' grave in Poland reveals non-existent genetic lineage
)
Dolly Parton, global icon and queen of country music, dies at 80
)
Nepal flash floods: Kailash Mansarovar yatra affected, close to 400 pilgrims out of contact
)
'If he is dead, they're putting on a pretty good show': Trump casts fresh doubt over Mojtaba Khamenei's fate
)
Man arrested near US Capitol with guillotine in pickup truck: What happened?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI cockpit is painted bright turquoise green
However, Akhtar said India need to decide who they want to play going forward between wicket-keepers Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik and if the likes of Ravi Bishnoi and Deepak Hooda are part of their future plans.
“India should decide what should be their final XI. Who is your future – is it Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Deepak Hood or Ravi Bishnoi? Find you final XI at least first, because, this isconfused selection from India and I don’t know why is there so much confusion,” said the former Pakistan pacer.
India and Pakistan can meet for the third time in the tournament if both teams manage to make it to the final. While Pakistan are well placed after beating India in their first Super Four game, India need to win their remaining two matches against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan to stand a chance.