India began their Asia Cup 2025 with an emphatic 9-wicket win over the hosts, UAE, as they chased down 58 runs in 4.3 overs.
Abhishek Sharma started the chase, going hammer and tongs to score 30(16) before he was dismissed in the fourth over.
During the build-up to the match, former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik spoke highly of Indian southpaw's explosive batting approach and credited the Indian team management for providing clarity and confidence to their players.
Add The Sporting News as a preferred news source
While he spoke about communication within the team, the 43-year-old also called out Pakistan's management, pointing out the reason why their players are failing to deliver like the Indians.
Shoaib Malik criticizes lack of clarity in Pakistan cricket
While speaking of the Indian opener Abhishek Sharma's extraordinary strike rate in a young T20I career on PTV, Malik emphasized the importance of clear communication between the player and the team management.
Citing Abhishek's T20I strike rate of 193.49 in 17 matches to score 535 runs, the former Pakistan captain firmly believes in Pakistan's talent pool to potentially replicate similar numbers if they are secure about their spot in the playing XI.
READ MORE: India crush UAE to record biggest T20I win by balls remaining
"Our system does not bring out the best in a youngster, nor do they bring out the best in the older ones, players are randomly pulled out of a series without any communication," he said.
"The players are not only battling against the opposition but also with their mental state, that is, always thinking of getting dropped from the team and not getting communicated about the reasons of it. It makes a lot of difference, we need to provide clarity to our players," he added.
Pakistan will begin with their Asia Cup campaign against Oman on Friday, Sept.12, ahead of the big clash against arch-rivals India on Sunday.
Led by captain Salman Agha, Pakistan is coming off a series win against West Indies and a tri-series win against UAE and Afghanistan.
READ MORE: Asia Cup 2025 squads: Check full team lists for all 8 nations in UAE T20 tournament
The ongoing Asia Cup will be a big test for the young side to make a mark ahead of the T20 World Cup in 2026.