Former pacer Shoaib Akhtar feels that it will not be an easy task for Pakistan to get the better of India in the upcoming T20 World Cup where the two arch-rivals will lock horns on October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. India suffered a crushing 10-wicket defeat against Pakistan in the 2021 T20 WC which ended their winning streak over the neighbouring nation in World Cups.
However, legendary pacer Akhtar feels that India will enter the match with better preparation to take on Pakistan this time.
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“India will come up with proper planning this time around. It will not be easy for Pakistan to beat India in T20 WC this time,” Akhtar was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Akhtar shied away from making a prediction but he wants Pakistan to bowl second as MCG’s surface provides assistance to pacers in the second half.
“Predicting match results now is quite difficult but Pakistan should bowl second as [the] pitch in Melbourne offers bounce to fast bowlers,” he said.
However, the legendary pacer feels that it will be a jam-pack stadium during the mega clash where Indian fans will have an upper hand.
“I believe the crowd will be bigger this time. Around 150,000 fans will watch the match line in Melbourne. Out of which, 70,000 will be Indian supporters,” he added.
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2021 T20 WC didn’t go as planned for India as overreliance on the top 3 were once again in the spotlight for their performances. Team India is going through a transitional phase under Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid. In the last few months, the selectors gave chances to several players to shine whenever the senior placers were rested for the series. They managed to find a few players who proved that they are ready to get a place in the XI.
Team India is trying to embrace the new fearless approach with the bat to trouble the opposition which worked well for them in the T20I series against England.
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