IND vs SL: "Sri Lanka Is Out There To Beat India" - Shoaib Akhtar Warns India Ahead Of Asia Cup 2023 Final
Published - 17 Sep 2023, 01:53 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:18 AM
Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar expressed surprise at India’s loss to Bangladesh in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2023. Shoaib Akhtar emphasized that the loss would be a wake-up call for the Rohit Sharma-led team ahead of the final match against Sri Lanka.
The Men in Blue gave a chance to Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Prasidh Krishna against Bangladesh. Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj were rested in a dead rubber match, where they suffered a six-run defeat.
It Was An Embarrassing Defeat – Shoaib Akhtar
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Shoaib Akhtar emphasized that India should be prepared for a tough final, as nothing can be taken for granted in cricket.
“We were not expecting that India would lose to a team like Bangladesh but they did. It was an embarrassing defeat. Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka. They are out of the Asia Cup, which is an even bigger embarrassment. India are still in the final. All is not lost for them,” Shoaib Akhtar said.
“It was a great wakeup call for them to come back harder and make sure they secure victory in the finals but that will only happen if they play really well. Ye khala ji ka ghar nahi hai jaha pe India jake araam se jeet legal. Nothing of that sort is going to happen. It’s going to be a tough game.”
The Indian bowlers restricted the 59-4 opposition in 14 overs after opting to bowl first. Shakib Al Hasan (80) and Towhid Hridoy (54) rescued the team with a 111-run stand for the fifth wicket. India bounced back by picking up three quick wickets, restricting the team to 193/7.
Nasum Ahmed (45 runs off 44 balls) and Mahedi Hasan (29 runs off 23 balls) scored crucial runs at the bottom of the order to help the team reach a competitive total of 265/8 in 50 overs. In response, the Men in Blue managed to score 259 runs in Colombo on September 15.
It Could Be Anybody’s Game – Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar emphasized that Sri Lanka is determined to defeat India, and the World Cup could be a highly competitive tournament with several strong contenders.
“Sri Lanka is out there to beat India. And going into the World Cup, it could be anybody’s game. India need to wake up. They lost to Bangladesh,” he concluded.
India and Sri Lanka will face off in the final match of the tournament at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, September 17.
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