Legendary fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has backed India to annihilate Pakistan in their much-talked-about Asia Cup 2025 clash in Dubai on Sunday. In a recent discussion on a Pakistani show, Akhtar reserved high praise for the Suryakumar Yadav-led side, claiming that the current lot is one of the most dominating T20I sides ever. "It is pretty obvious they are going to dominate you. They are gonna make sure that they hammer you. That's very simple. If I stretch it far, when it comes to making a statement, they would like to play against Afghanistan in the final, not Pakistan," said Akhtar, during a discussion on 'Game On Hai'. (Asia Cup 2025 LIVE Score: India vs Pakistan Live Updates | Follow here)
Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq was quick to point out that this Indian team doesn't have the experience of Virat Kohli, who would bat through the innings even if they lost a few early wickets.
"Pakistan does have an opportunity in case they don't get a good start and lose two wickets. They don't have Virat Kohli, as the batting is different. The new guys haven't played these bowlers. If the Pakistan bowlers can create a hole at the top, they surely have a chance," Misbah intervened.
However, Akhtar silenced him with an epic response. He also praised the depth in India's middle middle-order.
"Not to counter your argument, but please forgive me. They have Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, as well as Jitesh Sharma," Akhtar pointed out.
"Even Axar Patel can bat. This is not the same team which would crack after losing a couple of wickets. This is not the team from Virat's time, it won't be easy to run through them. They also have Abhishek Sharma," said Akhtar.
"This is a very strong middle-order batting lineup India has ever produced."
Notably, India have defeated Pakistan in each of the last five meetings across competitions. Pakistan's last victory over India came during the Super 4s stage of the Asia Cup in 2022.
from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/UTNGzv7
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