‘I cannot understand why he did that, not a wise decision’: Shoaib Akhtar slams Rohit Sharma’s captaincy

India won the toss and elected to bowl against Pakistan in the World Cup match on Saturday.

India team huddle together at the start of ICC Men's Cricket World Cup match between India and Pakistan in Ahmedabad. (AP)

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After India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl first in the widely anticipated Cricket World Cup match against arch-rivals Pakistan, former Pak speedster Shoaib Akhtar questioned the decision and called it a wrong move.

“Rohit Sharma won the toss, and he chose to bowl on such a good wicket. I cannot understand why he did that. It was not a wise decision and certainly was a wrong decision,” said Shoaib Akhtar on X.

“I am happy that Pakistan got to bat. It is a ‘paataa’ wicket, and I think India have given Pakistan a chance to score some big runs,” he added.

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India made one change from its playing 11 from the last game. Fit-again Shubman Gill, who missed both opening games because of an illness, will open the innings with skipper Rohit Sharma.

Pakistan has fielded an unchanged side from its previous win over Sri Lanka.

India and Pakistan have won both their opening matches. The hosts beat Australia in their opener and Afghanistan on Wednesday while Pakistan easily beat the Netherlands in its opener and then needed a World Cup-record run chase to overcome Sri Lanka.

Pakistan has never beaten India at the Cricket World Cup. Even when Pakistan won its only title in 1992 it lost to India in Sydney. The trend continued in 1996, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2015 and 2019. The 7-0 score line is a huge topic of contention among the rival fans.