Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar shared his insights ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 final between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, emphasizing that Pakistan can overcome their previous two losses against India in the tournament if they focus on dismissing key Indian batsman Abhishek Sharma early and maintain an aggressive approach.Pakistan’s recent encounters with India in the Asia Cup 2025 have been marked by heated exchanges, particularly during the Super 4s match where Pakistani pacers Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi engaged in verbal confrontations with Indian openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, though India emerged victorious.
Abhishek Sharma has been instrumental in India’s success throughout the tournament, scoring 74 runs off 35 balls in the previous match against Pakistan, which helped India chase down 172 runs with seven balls remaining. He also demonstrated his batting prowess against Bangladesh with a quick-fire 75 runs off 37 balls.Akhtar specifically highlighted the importance of targeting Abhishek Sharma in the early overs of the match. “Come out of this mindset, keep their aura aside. Just break their aura. Just play with this mindset that you had in the match against Bangladesh. This is the kind of mindset you need. You don’t need to bowl 20 overs; you just need to get wickets,” Akhtar said on the ‘Game On Hai’ programme.“Mark my words, if Abhishek Sharma gets out in the first two overs, they will get in trouble. The starts they are getting, they are going to struggle if Abhishek gets out early. It’s not like that, Abhishek will not mistime the ball; he will do that; you just need to go for the kill. If you come out fighting, India will realise that we have to work hard for our runs,” Akhtar added.The Rawalpindi Express also shared his perspective on India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir‘s likely approach to the final. “I know Gautam Gambhir. He will tell his team that ‘you need to bring your A game against Pakistan’. Pakistan will play the worst cricket, they will pick the worst side, but as soon as they reach the final, they play the best cricket, and they win the finals. It has happened so my times with us,” said Akhtar.
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Before the highly anticipated final, India is scheduled to play their last Super 4s match against Sri Lanka on Friday, September 26, at the Dubai International Stadium.The former Pakistani speedster, known for being one of the fastest bowlers in cricket history, advised Pakistan’s team to shed their inhibitions and adopt an aggressive mindset similar to their approach against Bangladesh.The upcoming final presents an opportunity for Pakistan to reverse their fortunes against India in the tournament, where they have faced defeats in their previous encounters despite showing competitive spirit and engaging in intense on-field battles.The match promises to be a crucial contest between two cricket powerhouses, with Pakistan looking to overcome their recent setbacks and India aiming to maintain their winning momentum in the tournament.
