“Indian batters are gonna make sure that they hammer you” - Shoaib Akhtar sends a warning message to Pakistan team

Former Pakistan pacer and commentator Shoaib Akhtar has stated that India will completely dominate Pakistan in the much-awaited Asia Cup 2025 clash on Sunday, September 14, at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.

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Moving into the details, India bagged a nine-wicket comfortable win over the hosts, the United Arab Emirates, in the campaign’s first game. Their next game is against their arch-rivals, Pakistan. Akhtar, while speaking on a Pakistani show, stated that Indian batters would love to hammer the opposition.

"It is pretty obvious they are going to dominate you. They are gonna make sure that they hammer you. That's very simple. If I stretch it far, when it comes to making a statement, they would like to play against Afghanistan in the final, not Pakistan," said Akhtar on 'Game On Hai'.

Furthermore, former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has asserted that if India loses two quick wickets early on in the innings, their bowlers can create a chance, especially with the absence of Virat Kohli in the XI.

"Pakistan does have an opportunity in case they don't get a good start and lose two wickets. They don't have Virat Kohli, as the batting is different. The new guys haven't played these bowlers. If the Pakistan bowlers can create a hole at the top, they surely have a chance," Misbah stated.

However, Akhtar was quick to counter Misbah, adding that the Indian team has an exceptional middle-order in Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Jitesh Sharma, stating that it wouldn’t be easy to run through them.

"Not to counter your argument, but please forgive me. They have Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, as well as Jitesh Sharma," Akhtar added.

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"Even Axar Patel can bat. This is not the same team which would crack after losing a couple of wickets. This is not the team from Virat's time, it won't be easy to run through them. They also have Abhishek Sharma. This is a very strong middle-order batting lineup India has ever produced,” he noted.

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