IND vs PAK: Shoaib Akhtar Hits Out At Indian Media, Says 'India Will Be Under Pressure In ODI World Cup Because Of Their Media'

Former Pakistani pacer, Shoaib Akhtar lashed out at Indian media and said that Rohit Sharma’s men will be under pressure because of the media. India will host the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 from October 5th and will get an upper hand on the tournament since they will play in front of the home crowd.

While speaking in an interview hosted by Star Sports, Shoaib Akhtar said that Babar Azam-led Pakistan can win the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 only if they manage to win without fear.

While talking about the India-Pakistan match, the former Pakistani pacer stated that more than two billion people will watch the high-voltage match.

“Pakistan can win the ODI World Cup if they play without fear. India do not have any stadiums that host less than 50,000 people. 2 billion people will watch the game when India play Pakistan in the World Cup,” Shoaib Akhtar said.

While talking about the Men in Green, Akhtar said that every squad member has to give confidence to each other to go through the tournament.

“All Pakistan has is 15 members in the squad who are sticking together. They will have to give confidence to each other throughout the tournament,” he added.

That is an uncalled amount of pressure to have ahead of the game: Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar compared the Indian media with Mahabharata for creating unwanted pressure on the Men in Blues during the ODI World Cup 2023.

The star pacer said that Rohit Sharma’s side will be under pressure since the media have already portrayed them as the winner, whereas, Pakistan won’t have any pressure since the media want them to lose.

“The Indian media will put an incredible amount of pressure on Pakistan, they will build it up like Mahabharata. That is an uncalled amount of pressure to have ahead of the game. They will say that India will defeat Pakistan with ease, and that is where things will turn topsy-turvy.

“Rohit Sharma and India are going to face a lot of pressure because of that, because they will already be portrayed as the winner. Pakistan will be under no pressure because the media will expect them to lose,” Shoaib Akhtar further added.

The much-anticipated match between India and Pakistan in the forthcoming ODI World Cup 2023 will be played on October 14th at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.