Former Pakistan speed bowler Shoaib Akhtar believes that playing at home and under intense media scrutiny will put the Indian cricket team under a lot of pressure in the 2019 World Cup.
The stage is set ideally for Pakistan, the No. 1 ODI team, to capture the trophy and give the fans something to rejoice about amid the country's dire economic position, according to Akhtar.
India's success at ICC competitions has been disappointing since they have been unable to win a world title since winning the Champions Trophy under Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2013.
"Pakistan's going to be all lonely there (in India). Having said that, they will be under no pressure. Playing at home, in front of our crowd, all the pressure will be on India; we will do better," Akhtar said during a virtual press conference organised by Star Sports.
"All the stadiums will be packed, and more than two billion people will be following the live action on TV or social media and what not. The Indian media will put an incredible amount of pressure on Pakistan, they will build it up like Mahabharata. They will already declare India as the winner... that's an uncalled amount of pressure to have ahead of the game.
"(But) Rohit Sharma and India are going to face a lot of pressure because of that."
On October 14, India will face Pakistan in the most anticipated World Cup match in Ahmedabad.
But first, they will face off in the Asia Cup Super Four stage on Sunday, and they may potentially meet for the title on September 17.
With less than a month until the World Cup, which begins on October 5, Akhtar claimed the Indian team is still "uncertain."
"Why do I have this feeling... why India could not pick their XI in the last two years? It's a very strange thing to me that your squad is not settled. Who is your No. 4, where will Virat (Kohli) play 3, 4 or 5? Ishan Kishan looks amazing and can bat anywhere.
"Hardik Pandya is an asset. Look what he has done with Gujarat Titans (in IPL).
"But India has not been a settled squad for (the) last two years, this is a very strange thing for me. Who will occupy which slot?" he asked.
"I'm all for Rohit, Virat, but every day you got to perform because you got a name. You have to be out there and lead by example. But the bowling and batting both look unsettled to me."
(With PTI inputs)
