 "Shoaib Akhtar has slammed the Pakistan team for their poor performance against India. Image: Reuters/GameOnHai")
India beat Pakistan by six wickets in a high-voltage Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 match on Sunday, September 21. Opener Abhishek Sharma was the star of the match, smashing a blazing 74 off 39 balls with 6 fours and 5 sixes. He shared a massive 105-run opening stand with Shubman Gill, who contributed 47 off 28 balls.
Their partnership set the perfect tone for India in their chase and put Pakistan on the back foot. India faced a small hiccup when Suryakumar Yadav got out for a duck and Sanju Samson scored just 13. But Tilak Varma (30 not out) and Hardik Pandya (7 not out) steadied the innings and guided India to a comfortable victory.
Akhtar, Bhogle, Akmal slam Pakistan’s performance
Experts were quick to comment on Pakistan’s poor performance. Shoaib Akhtar said on the Pakistani TV show Game On Hai that Pakistan’s batting quality was not good enough. He said that Pakistan’s coach Mike Hesson should be questioned for the team’s poor performance against India.
“You have to understand that the quality of batting just isn’t there. There’s a lack of skill. Either you slog or you stop. Earlier, we had players who used to play defensively [Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan], we threw them out. Now we have the hitters. Honestly, whatever it is, this is international cricket. What kind of shots are you playing? Even the coach should be questioned,” he said.
Akhtar also criticised Pakistan’s bowling, saying, “Your bowling lineup wasn’t even capable enough. Even if the target had been 200, India could have chased that too.”
Meanwhile, Indian cricket expert Harsha Bhogle praised India’s batting, especially Abhishek Sharma, and how he and his team handled the outside noise. There were altercations between the Indian openers and Pakistani bowlers during the chase, with Abhishek and Haris Rauf exchanging words.
“From whichever angle you look at it, the atmosphere wasn’t great. The team that plays calmly and doesn’t get carried away by the emotions of the environment will play the best. The team that gets a little distracted will be in trouble. That’s why, seeing Abhishek Sharma today, there’s something special about this boy. His batting was explosive, yet he remained calm,” Bhogle told Cricbuzz.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsFormer Pakistani wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal also shared his views on YouTube. He slammed Pakistan captain Salman Agha for not maintaining the momentum during their batting innings, adding that game awareness has always been the weakest point of this team.
“Look, it was an even contest until the 10th over when we started batting. Up to that point, you could say it was balanced mainly because of their fielding. If, in the first over, the catch off Hardik Pandya’s ball at third man had been taken, I think the difference would have been much bigger. And then the catch of Saim Ayub going down… The fielding today didn’t seem like India’s best; they looked a little nervous," Akmal said.
“But after 10 overs, 91 runs were on the board with just one wicket down. The shot by Saim Ayub was very poor. I think the momentum Sahibzada Farhan created in the last 10 overs should have been carried through. That momentum had to be maintained. I’ll say Salman Ali was only doing captaincy on the ground; the plan comes from the coach. The decision is totally the coach’s, but Salman should also have thought a bit. Game awareness has always been a weak point,” he added.