'Pakistan will beat India' - Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar make bold remarks ahead of IND-PAK clash

Former Pakistan cricketers Shoaib Malik and Shoaib Akhtar are still hopeful that Pakistan can make it to the Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final by beating India in the next game. However, Shoaib Akhtar wants the Men in Green to be more aggressive in their approach and show some character.

Pakistan lost their opening game of Champions Trophy to New Zealand in a disappointing fashion. The Men in Green were never in the game as New Zealand made light work of them. This puts Pakistan in a do-or-die situation for the match against India.

They need to win the match at any cost to stay in contention for the semi-final spot. However, beating the arch-rivals India won't be easy for Pakistan as the recent record suggests. They will be aiming to give their best on the day to revive their campaign.

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"There is pressure, but opportunity" - Shoaib Malik backs Pakistan

While speaking on the YouTube channel of Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik is convinced that Pakistan will defeat India in the upcoming clash. Malik feels that the Men in Green have the potential to beat India but asked the team's seniors to step up in the big game.

“I’m very hopeful that we still have a chance to beat India in our next match. And then we will continue our match with Bangladesh. Of course, morale is down. Confidence is down. But I think the character is still there," Malik noted.

“And we have that potential in our team to win against India. And I’m very hopeful. But now it’s their responsibility. The seniors will have to step up," the former Pakistan allrounder added.

Further speaking in the same conversation, Shoaib Malik asked the player to step up as it was their moment to make it big. He claimed that the players must see this as an opportunity rather than taking the pressure on themselves.

“Imagine if someone wins a game, do-or-die against India will become an instant superstar. So, I think opportunity is there. There is pressure, but opportunity. Take it as an opportunity,” he said.

Shoaib Akhtar asks Pakistan to be aggressive

Shoaib Akhtar further added his views and asked for a more aggressive brand of cricket from Pakistan. He believes that the Men in Green should have played with an extra bowler and asked them to learn from India's strategy.

“I think my take is that rather than be on the defensive side play attacking cricket. I wish them best of luck against India. And hope you don’t make the same mistakes that you made against New Zealand and batted with such a low strike rate,” said Shoaib Akhtar.

“There should have been at least 5-6 bowlers. India, they play with 5-6 bowlers. They play more than that. They play with 7 bowlers. But again, I think the process of the planning is a bit lacking. And moving forward, I think now you’ve put yourself in a difficult spot," Shoaib Akhtar reckoned.

Pakistan struggled in the bowling department as they played four specialist bowlers. Salman Ali Agha and Khushdil Shah filled in for the spot of fifth bowler but were hardly penetrative enough as New Zealand batters played them out comfortably.

Pakistan's schedule in Champions Trophy 2025

Pakistan will face India in a highly anticipated encounter on February 23 in Dubai. It will be the second game for both teams in the tournament.

Pakistan will play their last match of the group stage against Bangladesh on February 27 in Rawalpindi. However, they need to win against India at any cost to keep the game against Bangladesh relevant for them.