International Cricket ⇒ Ex-Cricketer Breaks Down India Challenge, Suggests Pace

[Em Vicky Khan]

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar gave a detailed breakdown of the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. He stressed how important strategy, attitude, and execution are for the green shirts.

In a recent interview on a local sports website, Akhtar talked about India’s aggressive style and the high stakes of the match. He stressed how important it is for Pakistan to be ready and play their best cricket.

“What makes you think about the type of cricket they are going to play? It’s clear—they’re going to beat you and beat you down. Akhtar added, “If I stretch it even more, India would rather play Afghanistan in the finals than Pakistan.”

“But the point is that Pakistan needs to bring their A-game. He went on to say, “If the goal is to beat India, then winning is a big topic we need to talk about.”

Misbah-ul-Haq, a former captain of Pakistan, also took part in the conversation, pointing out that Pakistan has a good opportunity if the squad starts off well.

“One thing is for sure: Pakistan has a chance. If they don’t lose early wickets and keep up the pace, even without Virat Kohli, whose batting style is different from what our bowlers are used to, they can put pressure on the other team and have a real opportunity. Misbah said, “The most important thing is to get off to a good start.”

But Akhtar soon offered his point of view, stressing India’s formidable middle order:

“This is not a team where getting two early wickets at the top will automatically cause problems at the bottom. “Abhishek is also a strong player, and this is one of the best middle-order batting lineups India has ever had,” he said.

The 50-year-old also said that Pakistan should focus on creating a strong batting base and using a balanced bowling attack, without making things too complicated.

“All we want from Pakistan is to bat first, score runs, and even though it’s hard to score more than 170 in Dubai, try to make it 200 and win by 100 runs.” Play the team that is supposed to play India. Don’t think too much about your bowling. “That’s enough,” he said. “You need three pacers, two spinners, and one all-rounder to finish your batting lineup.”

He also gave specific tips on who to pick for the high-intensity contest.

“Faheem Ashraf should be looked at because he can hit straight sixes and deal with spinners well.” If you don’t want to use Hasan Ali with the new ball, Wasim Jr. and Rauf can accept the challenge. Akhtar stated, “I would stick with the pace attack against India.”

Both teams are in good shape going into the game after winning their first games by a lot. India bowled out the UAE for only 57 runs and then chased down the mark in 4.3 overs. Pakistan scored 160 runs and then bowled out Oman for 67 runs in 16.4 overs.

India has a strong record in T20 internationals versus Pakistan, winning 10 of their 13 matches. India won by six wickets in their most recent meeting in February 2025 at the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai.

Pakistan squad for Asia Cup: Salman Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem

India squad for Asia Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh