“India loses because of the pressure they get from their own media”, says Shoaib Akhtar ahead of the much anticipated clash.

Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar recently discussed the intense pressure exerted by the Indian media in the lead-up to the highly anticipated clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in the 2023 Asia Cup. The much-anticipated encounter is scheduled as the opening match of the tournament and is set to take place at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on September 2.

Akhtar, known for his straightforward opinions, expressed his views on the Indian media’s approach to hyping their national cricket team. He critiqued the media’s tendency to create “unnecessary” pressure on the Indian team, citing a specific incident from the 2022 Asia Cup Super Four match between India and Pakistan where such media hype had adverse consequences for the team’s performance.

In the past, cricketing encounters between India and Pakistan have often been preceded by extensive media coverage, fanfare, and intense anticipation.

Akhtar’s said “Most of the times India does not lose because they lack talent, they lose because of the kind of pressure they get from their own media. And I always say this to Indian media to give the team some respect and cut them some slack. Why is there a need to build up so much pressure, I understand this because we’re insiders but ultimately this is the wrong thing to do.”

“The last year I was in Dubai, I was doing a show for the Indian local channels, they painted everything blue, they bought the stadium. Also, they were talking about one thing – ‘team India will crush Pakistan’. Who builds this much pressure? When you make us the underdog, we (Pakistan) got nothing to lose because there is no pressure at all. So, what we’ll do is we’ll go out there and win,” he more added.