Asia Cup 2025: Former great gives bold verdict to Pakistan ahead of final against India

Despite Pakistan losing to India twice in the 2025 Asia Cup, Shoaib Akhtar believes the outcome could change when the two teams face off in the final this Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium. Akhtar had a clear message for Salman Ali Agha’s side ahead of the big game- play hard and target key players like Abhishek Sharma.

The Super 4s encounter between Pakistan and India was intense, with Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi clashing with Indian openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. Nevertheless, India emerged victorious in that match.

With the Asia Cup final approaching, Akhtar urged Pakistani bowlers to focus on taking wickets, particularly aiming at Abhishek Sharma, who has been a standout performer for India throughout the tournament. In their last Super 4s game, Abhishek scored 74 runs off 35 balls, helping India chase 172 with seven balls to spare. He also struck 75 off 37 balls against Bangladesh.

“Come out of this mindset, keep their aura aside. Just break their aura. Play with the mindset you had against Bangladesh. That’s the approach you need. You don’t need to bowl 20 overs; you just need to take wickets,” Akhtar said during a recent interaction.

The former speedster, widely regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in cricket history, also noted that India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, would be aware of Pakistan’s threat and would push his team to perform at their best. “I know Gambhir. He will tell his team, ‘You need to bring your A game against Pakistan.’ Pakistan may play poorly in earlier matches, pick the wrong side, but as soon as they reach the final, they play their best cricket and often win. It happened many times in my era,” Akhtar added.