IND vs PAK, ICC World Cup 2019: Sarfraz defies Imran Khan's suggestion to bat first, pays huge prize

Imran Khan, in a series of tweets, suggested that Sarfraz should bat first after winning the toss. He did the opposite and paid the prize

Ahead of Pakistan’s World Cup fixture against India, former captain and now Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted a detailed set of instruction on how to counter the men-in-blue at the epic clash. In a series of posts on social media, Imran suggested that Sarfraz Ahmed should opt to bat first if he wins the toss. He mentioned in his post how the current Pakistani side can dominate the Indian on the cricket field and break the World Cup jinx. The cricketer-turned-politician, who led Pakistan to victory at the 1992 Cricket World Cup, took to Twitter to offer some suggestions to the team and said that the role of mind will be key to success. “All fears of losing should be banished from the mind as the mind can only process one thought at a time. Fear of losing leads to a negative & defensive strategy & crucially mistakes by opponents are not pounced upon. So here are my suggestions for Sarfaraz & Pakistan team,” the 66-year-old cricketing legend said in a series of tweets. Here are the posts:

When I started my cricketing career I assumed success was 70% talent & 30% mind. By the time I finished playing cricket I felt it was 50-50 ratio. But now I tend to agree with my friend Gavaskar it's 60% mental strength & 40 % talent. Today role of mind will be more than 60% 1/5

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 16, 2019

2/5 Today, given the intensity of the match, both teams will come under great mental pressure and the power of the mind will decide the outcome of the match today. In Sarfaraz we are fortunate to have a bold captain & today he will have to be at his daring best.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 16, 2019

3/5 All fears of losing should be banished from the mind as the mind can only process one thought at a time. Fear of losing leads to a negative & defensive strategy & crucially mistakes by opponents are not pounced upon. So here are my suggestions for Sarfaraz & Pakistan team:

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 16, 2019

4/5 1. In order ro have a winning offensive strategy Sarfaraz must go in with specialist batsmen and bowlers because "Raillu Kattas" rarely perform under pressure - especially the intense kind that will be generated today. 2. Unless pitch is damp, Sarfaraz must win the toss & bat

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 16, 2019

5/5 3. Finally, even though India may be the favourites, banish all fear of losing. Just give your best and fight till the last ball. Then accept whatever the result like true sportsmen. The nation's prayers are with all of you. Good Luck.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 16, 2019

However, the current Pakistani skipper did exactly the opposite. Sarfraz invited Kohli & Co to bat on the Manchester track which looked to be batting friendly. And then, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, who came to open in place of injured Shikhar Dhawan, showed no mercy. Both the batsman brought up their respective half-centuries, stitching a century stand for the opening wicket.