Asia Cup 2025: Shahid Afridi, Pakistan Greats Ridicule Own Team Ahead Of India Clash
A number of Pakistan legends, including Shahid Afridi, have already dismissed Pakistan's chances of beating India in the Asia Cup 2025.
- India has consistently outperformed Pakistan in cricket, widening the gap between the teams of late
- Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi praised the confidence of India's players, including rookies
- Pakistan legends feel their team needs a miracle to beat India in the upcoming Asia Cup encounter
Gone are the days when India vs Pakistan used to be an even contest on the cricket pitch. Over the years, the ifference between the two teams has only increased, with recent encounters sharing extent to which Pakistan cricket has fallen behind India's. As Indian players compete with each other extensively for a single appearance in the national team, the affairs across the border are such that the selectors aren't even able to field an XI that can do justice to their cricketing history. (Asia Cup 2025 LIVE Score: India vs Pakistan Live Updates | Follow here)
As India and Pakistan come face-to-face in the Asia Cup 2025, even Pakistan legends didn't hesitate to show Salman Ali Agha's team the mirror. Shahid Afridi, a former Pakistan captain, highlighted how confident the Indian players look on the field, even if they are rookies who haven't played a lot of international cricket.
"You should see the body language of even the new players that come into the (Indian) team. They brim with confidence. They come ready, they have already played a hundred games in full-house, they have already shared the dressing room with international stars. They don't have pressure or fear and are full of confidence. Even their B team can win the Asia Cup!," Afridi said in a show on Pakistan YouTube channel BKH Reacts.
The verdict by other Pakistan greats like Ramiz Raja, Shoaib Malik, and Shoaib Akhtar has been quite similar to Afridi.
These former stars feel the match against India will be a reality check for Pakistan, suggesting the contest will make the team's status in world cricket absolutely clear.
"They (Pakistan) need nothing less than a miracle to beat India," says Ramiz Raja on News24.
Shoaib Malik opined, "The games against India will be a reality check, showing where it stands in world cricket."
Shoaib Akhtar, on the other hand, feels Pakistan's batting will be exposed against India. He said: "Play proper cricket shots. You can get away with Oman, but not India. Lots of gaps in the batting department, and how will they face Jasprit Bumrah?"
While Pakistan's former cricket stars don't have the slightest of hopes ahead of the team's match against India, the team's head coach, Mike Hesson, had called his spinner Mohammad Nawaz 'best in the world'. The two versions of the same team, hence, stand poles apart.
India Cricket Team
Pakistan Cricket Team
Shahid Afridi
Shoaib Malik