ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Shoaib Akhtar confident of Pakistan beating India at Edgbaston

Akhtar still remembers the yorker he bowled to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar in a high tension India-Pakistan encounter

What’s the story?

India might be one of the favourites to lift the Champions Trophy this year, but former Pakistan bowler Shoaib Akhtar is not sitting on the fence to predict the winner of the highly awaited clash between the arch rivals. 

“I will give a 60 percent margin to Pakistan and it’s because the team is in a good nick and they will definitely be playing to outclass India,” he said whilst speaking in an interview to Geo.tv.

The man holding the record for the fastest ball bowled in cricket history says that Pakistan has got the ideal bowling lineup that is packed with proper spinners who are sure to do the job against the Virat Kohli-led Indian team. 

When asked about his favourite India-Pakistan moment, the Rawalpindi Express gave a tongue-in-cheek answer:

“My favourite Pakistan-India moment is yet to come. It’s gonna be on June 4, when Pakistan will defeat India in the Champions Trophy.”

In case you didn’t know..

India’s first match of the tournament will be played against Pakistan, their neighbours and biggest foes on the cricket ground. It will be interesting to see how India take the field on Sunday in the trench of off-field controversies that have surrounded them in the last week.

It will be a stern test for Pakistan’s newly appointed skipper, Sarfraz Ahmed. He will have to put his best foot forward and go toe-to-toe against the seasoned campaigners in the Indian team.

The details

Captain Sarfraz Ahmed has a stern test ahead of him

While reminiscing in the memories of the games against India he participated in, Akhtar remembered how the entire nation turned against him when he dismissed Sachin Tendulkar with a yorker in the 1999 Kolkata Test.

He further added that he has been privy to a lot of love and support from the Indian crowd but has always seen it all disappear as soon as he bowled his first ball against India. 

While talking about the highly anticipated match-up of the Champions Trophy, the 41-year-old said that Pakistan would do well if they did not wallow in a defensive state of mind. He urged the team to go out there and rotate the strike consistently and to play without pressure like it is a normal match.

What’s next?

The Indian team might find themselves in the spot of bother considering the peripheral ruckus that surrounds them at the moment. Only time will tell if they can erase that spot before they step onto the field tomorrow. 

Author’s take

A sixty percent chance seems a little far-fetched for the inconsistent and undulating Pakistan team. However, considering that the psyche of the Indian players might not be at its best tomorrow, you can clearly hope for a even and hard-fought contest between the two teams.