• Shoaib Akhtar says India trying to gain morale.
• “Pakistan has got nothing to lose,” former pacer says.
• Hasan, Shaheen good choices for death overs, he says.

Former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar has said team India is in a “bad state” as their local media has created intense hype ahead of the high-octane clash against Pakistan on October 24.

The former pacer, talking on Geo Super’s programme “Sports Floor”, said: “[India] are trying to gain morale as they have a lot of pressure on them. Pakistan has got nothing to lose — they just need to win a match of two qualify for the semi-finals.”

Akhtar said the warm-up defeat against South Africa should be slid under the rug, as whenever Pakistan has to win a big tournament, they start off by losing matches.

“If I were their coach, I would ask them to not worry and play it like a normal match,” he said.

The former pacer said the team should not worry about its upcoming match with India, as whenever Pakistan gains momentum, it becomes a danger to other teams.

Talking about which bowlers should bowl the death overs, he said Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi would be good choices, as Pakistan would play with an attacking strategy.