"Pakistan team used to get pressurized by that hype" - Shoaib Akhtar on why India used to dominate them in World Cups

Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar recently shared his thoughts on their 1999 World Cup campaign, where they lost to India in the group stages before making it all the way to the final.

Pakistan are yet to beat India in an ODI World Cup, though they did get the better of them at the 2021 T20 World Cup.

Akhtar reckons Pakistan were the victims of their own mindset while playing against India as they let the pressure get to them. The fierce rivalry between the two nations is something that is hyped by the media, according to the former pacer.

Speaking in a video posted by Star Sports on Twitter on Friday, Akhtar explained why Pakistan looked underconfident while facing the Indians:

"We, as (the) Pakistan team, used to play against India, why don't you just play it as a normal match? We had come (into the 1999 World Cup) beating India in ODIs as well as Tests in their backyard. (It was) just the added pressure of the World Cup as well as the huge hype.

"Pakistan team used to get pressurized by that hype. This hype was created by TV (media) and we all used to watch TV."

"Sachin played me the best during the 1999 World Cup" - Shoaib Akhtar

One of the fastest bowlers of all time, Shoaib Akhtar had a great personal rivalry with Sachin Tendulkar, who was arguably the best batter in the world during his playing days.

The former Pakistan cricketer feels that while he got the better of Tendulkar on a few occasions, the Little Master negotiated him very well during the 1999 World Cup.

On this, he said:

"This Pakistan team used to get to the ground against India with unnecessary pressure. We even choked in the 2003 World Cup. But Sachin played me the best during the 1999 World Cup. All the other batters were scared of me at that time. Many batters of the world used to stop moving their feet against me."

Will India be able to avenge last year's defeat when they face Pakistan in the Asia Cup on August 28? Let us know in the comments.