Former Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Kamran Akmal backed India to emerge victorious in the clash between two teams at the upcoming T20 World Cup. The two Asian Giants will write a new chapter in their rivalry in the upcoming edition of the marquee event. The tournament will begin on June 1, with the USA and the West Indies serving as the hosts. On June 9, India and Pakistan will step into New York’s Nassau County Cricket Stadium to play the highly anticipated clash in front of 35,000 fans. During a Q&A session on Instagram, Akmal was asked about his prediction for the star-studded clash, to which he replied, “Definitely India.”

When India and Pakistan appear on the same field at the same time, there is always a different buzz associated with the match, with fans investing their emotions to support their team.

This time, in one of the biggest rivalries in cricket, the atmosphere will certainly be different after India defied the odds to stand victorious in the previous edition of the tournament against the archrivals.

In their previous encounter in 2022, the Men in Green were far ahead in the game. India needed 28 runs off a mere 8 deliveries to walk away with a victory.

With Virat Kohli on strike against Haris Rauf, the stalwart batter took a step back and struck a towering six right over the head of the Pakistan speedster. In an emotion-packed game, commentator Gerard Whateley delivered the iconic “That is a shot of an emperor” line to describe Kohli’s masterclass.

He tonked another maximum on the next ball, which laid the foundation for a successful 160-run chase for India. The match lived up to its hype, and the fans will be expecting another cracker of a match.

Before the epic clash between the two cricketing giants, India will take on Ireland in their tournament opener on June 5. Pakistan will meet USA in their opening clash on June 6.

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Pakistan Squad: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.