World Cup 2023: Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel pinpoints the primary reason for the defeat against India

Pakistan‘s cricketer Saud Shakeel has provided valuable insights into the primary factors that contributed to their loss against India in the ODI World Cup 2023.

In a much-anticipated clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14, arch-rivals India outperformed Pakistan by seven wickets, securing yet another victory in the history of their encounters. The match played in front of a capacity crowd, extended India’s unbeaten record against Pakistan in the history of the tournament.

The factors behind Pakistan’s loss to India: Saud Shakeel’s insight

Reflecting on the disheartening defeat, middle-order batter, Shakeel identified the absence of Pakistani fans in the stadium as one of the key elements affecting the team’s performance. Additionally, he revealed that under pressure, Pakistan‘s batters attempted extravagant shots, which further compounded their woes.

“When you have your crowd, then you get the support. We did not get that, and it was not in our hands,” Shakeel was quoted as saying by The Times Of India.

“I think we were under extra pressure, so we tried to get out of that and wanted to play shots,” the 28-year-old added.

Also WATCH: KL Rahul takes a one-handed blinder to dismiss Mehidy Hasan Miraz during IND vs BAN clash

Looking ahead: Pakistan vs Australia

The next challenge awaits them in Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday, where they will take on the formidable Australia team in another high-profile game. Speaking on that, Shakeel emphasized the importance of learning from the mistakes made during the India encounter. He stressed that if Pakistan can overcome these issues and secure a victory against the five-time champion Australian side led by Pat Cummins, their ranking would significantly improve.

“The mistakes we committed in the last game, we must overcome them. That match is gone. If we win against Australia then our position will get better. Australia are always good in the World Cup. They are a very good side. We know our strong areas and we must play good cricket,” the Karachi-born cricketer concluded.

Also READ: World Cup 2023: BCCI provides update on Hardik Pandya’s ankle injury during IND vs BAN clash