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Shoaib Akhtar, the fast bowling legend from Pakistan, has criticised the Indian media for creating pressure on Team India, which makes them lose cricket matches most of the time. The 48-year-old also stated that this is the wrong thing for the media to do, during his face-time interview with RevSportz, ahead of the India vs. Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 encounter at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
On September 2, Saturday, the arch-rivals will be going head-to-head in a Group A clash of the continental cricket tournament in Kandy. Pakistan have already defeated Nepal by 238 runs at the Multan Cricket Stadium to open the Asia Cup 2023 campaign, that’s why a win against India will secure their spot in the Super Four stage.
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While talking to Boria Majumdar, the Indian sports journalist for RevSportz on YouTube, Shoaib Akhtar had chosen words for the media in his neighbouring country. He was quoted as saying, “Most of the time India does not lose because they are lacking talent, India loses because of the pressure that they get from their own media.”
“Ultimately, this is the wrong thing to do, when you are mounting pressure on Team India,” he added.
The Rawalpindi Express also discussed his experience at the Asia Cup last year in the UAE, while working on the India vs Pakistan encounter at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Shoaib Akhtar said, “Last year I was in Dubai, I was doing a show with the local channels, they painted everything blue, they bought all the stadium. And they were talking about one thing, ‘Team India, you gonna crush Pakistan’.”
“Who builds this amount of pressure? When you make us the underdog, there is no pressure on us. What we're gonna do now, just go out there and win,” the 48-year-old further remarked.
