While speaking on Salaam Cricket 2021, Akhtar said:
“There is a lot of pressure but it’s less on Pakistan because first of all, the entire stadium is blue. That is yours. Your fans will be there, your broadcasters, we have no problems if we lose this,” he opined.
The 46-year-old pace ace even joked that Pakistan would be more interested in beating New Zealand than India as the Blackcaps had left Pakistan minutes before the start of their tour of the country based on a security threat.
“Our real anger is with New Zealand. We will take it out on them, we have no issues with you,” he said.
“On a serious note, I feel there is a lot at stake for India. If Pakistan bat first and make more than 180 runs then trust me, the pressure gets to the biggest of players. If India can handle that pressure better than Pakistan, that’s fine, but what if Pakistan surprises you,” added Akhtar.
Akhtar then weighed in on Kohli’s captaincy record for India by saying that he does not seem to have luck on his side as a leader. The T20 World Cup will be Kohli’s final assignment as captain of Team India in T20Is.
While Kohli has been the skipper in all formats since 2017, the superstar is yet to win an ICC trophy with India. However, he came super close on several occasions but it went vain as the Men in Blue lost to Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy final and failed to beat New Zealand in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup and the final of the World Test Championship (WTC).
“Captain’s luck is not favourable for Virat Kohli. I feel that Virat Kohli is such a great cricketer, a great guy, but somehow, as a captain, his luck is not striking. I hope it doesn’t strike on the 24th,” concluded Akhtar.
