Asia Cup 2022: "Indian media and fans should try not to bash their own stars" - Shoaib Akhtar urges ardent supporters to not criticize players following defeat to Sri Lanka 

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar urged Indian fans to remain calm despite a worrying second consecutive defeat in the 2022 Asia Cup. The Men in Blue lost to Sri Lanka by six wickets in the Super 4s stage on Tuesday, virtually crashing out of the competition.

India entered the tournament as favorites alongside Pakistan, but their attempt at winning the trophy received major dents in the Super 4s stage.

Rohit Sharma and Co. are facing a lot of backlash over their set of defeats against their Asian rivals in the space of a couple of days.

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was at the end of some ruthless criticism after he dropped Asif Ali's catch in the encounter against Pakistan. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Akhtar urged the Indian fans not to be too harsh on their team following their back-to-back defeats, saying:

"I do not think India have any chance of making it to the finals now. I think Pakistan will face Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup. Pakistan always have had a psychological edge over Sri Lanka. Indian media and fans should try not to bash their own stars, that is not right."

Sri Lanka are currently atop the Super 4 table with two wins from as many matches. Pakistan will qualify for the 2022 Asia Cup final if they beat Afghanistan on Wednesday, September 7.

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"The fans should not start disrespecting their own team" - Shoaib Akhtar

Expectations are high from Indian fans after the team's prolific run in the shortest format over the course of the last 10 months. Prior to the 2022 Asia Cup, the Men in Blue lost only four matches out of 23 fixtures under the regime of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid.

Find out more about India's position in the Asia Cup 2022 points table here.

Opining that Team India's situation is not as bad as a section of the fan base thinks, Akhtar said:

"Now India knows where they are lacking. Now the fans should not start disrespecting their own team. The situation is not as bad as you think. India should now look to strengthen their bowling."

India are scheduled to lock horns with Afghanistan in their final contest of the Super 4 stage on Thursday, September 8.

Are the Indian fans right to be upset with the team's display in the 2022 Asia Cup? Let us know what you think.