Pakistan bowling legend Shoaib Akhtar has said that Indian team will be under severe pressure during the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023. The speedster mentioned that it will be India’s own media putting them under stress.
Akhtar was talking at a press conference discussing the India vs. Pakistan World Cup 2023 match which will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14.
Akhtar was asked how much pressure will Pakistan be under and how they can overcome the same.
"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. 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," Akhtar said on Star Sports.
However, he talked about Indian team and mentioned that they would be the one under pressure throughout the World Cup, because the media will create a hype that the team is unbeatable.
"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," Akhtar concluded.
Pakistan has not been able to defeat India in any of their ODI World Cup meetings since 1992.
