Team India are on the verge of Super-4 elimination from the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 in UAE, having suffered two successive defeats at the hands of Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The Rohit Sharma-led side started the tournament with a bang, winning both their group matches against Pakistan and Hong King. However, their campaign got derailed in the Super-4 stage of the competition.
While the Men in Blue still have a slim chance of making it to the final, they need other results to go in their favour.
After India’s six-wicket loss to Sri Lanka on Tuesday (September 6), former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar said he wants to see the arch-rivals in the final but it seems tough now.
"I hope India does win big and play the final with us but the only option they have is if Pakistan loses two matches, which I don't think will happen. But I hope India will be in the Super Sunday final but it, didn't happen as of now," Akhtar said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
"The one mistake India shouldn't commit now is changing the captain. Rohit Sharma looks very uncomfortable, he is shouting. The final eleven you have seen in the last three games, they have made so many changes. For me, it looks like there's a lot of uncertainty in their camp," he added.
Shoaib also advised Rohit to sharpen his captaincy and stay patient.
“India shouldn’t be disheartened, but they need to learn quickly. They need to find their best combination and Rohit Sharma needs to sharpen his captaincy and stay patient.”
According to Shoaib Akhtar, the Asia Cup campaign has been a good wakeup call for India ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022, slated to be held in Australia from October 16 to November 13.
"If you want to look at the high side, India has got a good wakeup call. From here, India need to find their final eleven. This is a good thing for India. So before the World Cup, India has got a good wakeup call and they can decide on their final eleven. Now they know where they're weak," he stated.
Akhtar feels India’s bowling attack is not up to the mark and they need to final five bowlers in their line-up for the World Cup.
He also praised Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh for their exploits in the Asia Cup 2022.
"From here, India should improve their bowling. They need to find their five bowlers in their final eleven. One more good thing is that Hardik Pandya is bowling above 140 and Arshdeep Singh is bowling well. Yes he dropped the catch, but mistakes happen. But he is a very good fast bowler."
"He bowled well in the final over. Unfortunately, he could win the match but he bowled very well that over. I really think he is a good talent," he said.
Team India are slated to play their last Super-4 match against Afghanistan on Friday (September 9) in Dubai.
