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In a pep talk to the young Pakistani team at Lahore on Sunday, cricketing legend Imran Khan said the key to winning lay in the ability to cope up with the extra-ordinary pressure associated with high-voltage India-Pakistan matches.

The former all-rounder admitted that on paper India were a better side than Pakistan but said his young guns could emerge victorious in the historic contest if they were able to sustain the pressure.

"On paper India has an edge over Pakistan but that does not mean they will win the series only on account of being good on paper. For me the winner of both Tests and one-day series will be the team which sustains the pressure well," Imran told the probables at a camp at Lahore.

"Pakistani players are younger and inexperienced than the Indians. So they will have to make more effort. They are new to the pressures of international cricket specifically the kind associated with Indo-Pak cricket," said Imran.

Another former great Wasim Akram is also due to visit the camp shortly.

Imran, who was invited to offer tips to the probables on the recommendations of coach Javed Miandad, captain Inzamam-ul Haq and chief selector Wasim Bari, cited the example of the 1979 and 1987 series to drive home his point.

"We lost to India on our tour to India in 1979 despite being a better side because we failed to sustain pressure. But with a weaker team we beat India in 1987 just because we coped with pressure well," said Imran during his two and a half hour interaction with the 26 probables for the five-match one-day series beginning on March 13.

Imran, a former captain, scored 3807 runs and took 362 wickets in 88 Tests and another 175 in 182 one-day matches besides leading his side to 14 wins in 48 Tests, said the fitness of fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami was crucial to Pakistan's fortunes in the series.

"Pakistan can win the Test series provided Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami remain fit. These are the two bowlers who can win Test matches for Pakistan," said the cricketer as he spent an hour with the duo, giving them useful tips on containing the Indian batting powerhouse.

"I told both Shoaib and Sami about some tactical things and they are well up to the challenge," he said.

Imran, who led his side to a 1-0 win in 1987-88 series in India, said Pakistan need to check Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and V V S Laxman in the Tests.

"I think Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman know how to stay at the wicket and Pakistani bowlers need to dislodge them as quickly as they can to restrict Indian totals and that would not be very easy," he said adding Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag will be dangerous customers in the one-day series.

Imran said captain Inzamam-ul Haq would have to show his skills of leading from the front and use his bowlers shrewdly.

"Inzamam needs to be attacking and if he leads the team from the front then only Pakistan can force India on the back foot. Inzamam must also use his bowlers shrewdly," said Imran, who led Pakistan to the World Cup win in 1992 using only three frontline bowlers.