- By Namrata Vijay
- Sat, 13 Sep 2025 03:43 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025: Ex-Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has revealed that emotions would be running high as arch-rivals India and Pakistan will lock horns with each other for the first time after Operation Sindoor. The political tensions deteriorated between these two countries after the Pahalgam terror attack. 26 tourists died in that attack earlier this year, and the Indian Army then launched Operation Sindoor, where they destroyed all the terrorist camps in Pakistan, resulting in a military de-escalation. Akhtar admitted that it is unlikely that this match would become a houseful and dismissed the idea that the tickets have not been sold out yet, with one day remaining.
"Emotions are running very high. Now we [Pakistan] are meeting India for the first time post-war. Think about it — it cannot not be houseful. Someone said to me that the tickets are unsold. I said, 'What are you saying?' Everything is sold; these are all the external talks," Akhtar was quoted as saying on PTV Sports.
At the same time, ex-India cricketer Atul Wassan dropped a bombshell and said that even the India B team can beat this Pakistan team.
"India's B team will also beat this Pakistan team because things have changed. When we played in the 90s, they were a very good side. Now the boot is on the other foot. I will not miss Rohit (Sharma) and Virat (Kohli) because then I will start missing Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev also," Wassan was quoted as saying to the Indian Express.
"The king is dead, long live the king. Things move, new superstars come in, and this embarrassment of riches, and I feel sorry for the selectors because to keep everyone in the mix because who's to drop and who's to pick," he concluded.