India extended their ODI World Cup winning streak to 8-0 by defeating Pakistan by seven wickets at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Rohit Sharma's 86-run innings and Shreyas Iyer's unbeaten 53* helped India chase down the target with 117 balls to spare.
Former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar recently posted a video on his YouTube channel praising Indian team for their dominant display. He congratulated Rohit for his spectacular innings against the formidable Pakistani bowling line-up.
"The kind of innings he played, he humiliated Pakistan’s bowling attack. He took revenge for the last two years when he didn’t get many runs. Good to see Rohit Sharma back, he did right to smash the bowlers," Akhtar said.
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Akhtar shared his thoughts on the recent India-Pakistan match with a mix of analysis and humour. He began by acknowledging the class of Indian batsmen, particularly KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma, and highlighted the significant gap when comparing Indian and Pakistani batsmen head-to-head.
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"KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma exude class. When you compare Indian and Pakistani batsmen head-to-head, there's a significant gap." Akhtar highlighted the class of Indian batsmen in contrast to their Pakistani counterparts.
Akhtar then playfully expressed the ease with which India defeated Pakistan, almost like child's play, and humorously claimed that only he could silence a crowd of 100,000 spectators, not the current players.
"India defeated Pakistan convincingly, almost like child's play. Silencing a crowd of 1 Lakh spectators? Only Shoaib Akhtar could do that, not you. Your capabilities aren't at that level right now," the veteran pacer said.
Akhtar expressed his belief that India might be on the path to reliving the history of the 2011 World Cup, as long as they can avoid mishaps in the semi-finals.
"Now I am beginning to believe India is about to repeat that history of 2011 WC. If they can avoid the mess in the semis, India is well-positioned to win the tournament," Akhtar said.
Akhtar commented on Pakistan's underwhelming performance against their arch-rivals India.
"Disappointing performance… a very disappointing performance. Today, India completely hammered Pakistan. Rohit Sharma was a one-man army. I don’t know where Rohit Sharma was in the last couple of years. He is a very big player and has a wide range of shots," Rawalpindi express said.
Akhtar questioned Pakistan's team balance, criticising the team management's decision to play less batters.
"What did Pakistan think by playing four batters, no middle-order, no spinners, no nothing," he said.
He also highlighted the difference in performance between India and Pakistan, emphasizing India's unbeaten run in the competition. India will next play Bangladesh on October 19, while Pakistan will be in action against Australia on October 20.