Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf wants Salman Ali Agha’s side to play some “mind games” against India in the Asia Cup 2025 Group A tie at the Dubai International Stadium.
And how does he exactly want it to happen? By resting Shaheen Shah Afridi and Fakhar Zaman. Yes, you read that right. During a discussion on Samaa TV alongside Shahid Afridi, Yousuf said resting Shaheen and Fakhar would make India lose sleep.
This bizarre claim even confused and shocked the anchor, and her response sums it all up. In the Asia Cup 2025, India and Pakistan won their opening matches against the UAE and Oman, respectively.
This is the first cricket match between the arch-rivals after the war-like situation earlier this year. Boycott campaigns are rampant in India as fans continue to fume with India playing against Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 tourists.
India are the clear favourites heading into the match against Pakistan; hence, Yousuf thinks that the time is right to play mind games and throw India off their guard.
“I want to give a suggestion which is completely out of the box. I know people won’t like it. It will make people go, ‘What are you even saying?’ I would just say that for the match against India, we should rest our main bowler, Shaheen and even Fakhar Zaman. We should play mind games against them,” said Yousuf.
Hearing this, the anchor asked Yousuf whether he got enough sleep during the night. “Raat ki need puri hui hai? (Did you sleep properly).”
Shahid Afridi’s reaction
Former Pakistan captain Afridi, who also participated in the discussion, couldn’t help but smile when he heard what his former teammate had to say.
The rivalry between India and Pakistan has become lopsided over the years, with India having the upper hand over the arch-rivals. The last time these two teams met was earlier this year in the ICC Champions Trophy. India won the contest quite comprehensively, as Virat Kohli scored a century.
There is quite a bit of chatter heading into the Asia Cup contest as boycott calls reign supreme in India, as fans are not pleased with a cricket match being played in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, where 26 innocent lives were lost.
It remains to be seen whether social media chatter and on-ground reality are same. It would be interesting to see whether the Dubai International Stadium is sold out for the contest or not.