T20 World Cup 2021: "Give sleeping pills to India" - Shoaib Akhtar's cheeky winning advice to Pakistan 

Shoaib Akhtar has offered hilarious advice to Pakistan about defeating India in Sunday's bumper T20 World Cup match in Dubai.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, the former Pakistani pacer jokingly remarked that Babar Azam and co. should give sleeping pills to Indian players before the match.

He also asked them to stop Virat Kohli from using his Instagram and even requested team mentor MS Dhoni not to come and bat himself.

Shoaib Akhtar said:

"Give sleeping pills to India first. Second, stop Virat Kohli from using Instagram for two days (chuckles). And third, ask MS Dhoni to not come to bat himself, I am telling you he's still the most in-form batter."

Shoaib Akhtar then spoke on a serious note, offering his actual advice. He asked the Pakistan openers to provide a good start, avoid dot balls and pace their innings. He also asked the bowling attack to be aggressive while defending a good total. Akhtar added:

"Pakistan needs to open in a manner where you can get a good start. Then, Pakistan will have to avoid dot balls, play run-a-ball for 5-6 overs then take the strike rate up. And when it comes to bowling, if you have a good total, then make sure you are out there and take wickets."

India have won seven of their eight T20Is against Pakistan, with five of those coming at the World Cup. The Men in Green are yet to win a World Cup game, be it T20Is or ODIs, against their arch-rivals.

Shoaib Akhtar picks the player to watch out for in the India-Pakistan match

When asked to pick Pakistan's trump card for the match, Shoaib Akhtar chose Asif Ali. The 30-year-old right-handed batter has played 29 T20Is for Pakistan, scoring 344 runs at an average of 16.38 and a strike rate of 123.74.

The former pacer said:

"Asif Ali strikes well in the lower order. I think he can be a player to look out for."

The much-anticipated match will kickstart at 7:30 PM IST in Dubai.