India defeated Pakistan by 228 runs in their Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 match in Colombo on Monday. Kuldeep Yadav’s five-wicket haul followed Virat Kohli and KL Rahul’s unbeaten centuries in India’s dominating display.
Now, former Pakistani cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq in a post on X (formerly Twitter) congratulated India for the remarkable victory.
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Saqlain lauded Shubman Gill for “giving India the start they needed” and called Kuldeep one of his “favourite bowlers.”
“Congratulations, India. Shubman Gill played a great knock with a positive approach, giving India the start they needed. Virat Kohli, with his 47th ton, played a fine knock as usual, alongside KL Rahul. Watching Kuldeep Yadav, one of my own favourite bowlers, was a treat,” Saqlain wrote.
Congratulations, India. @ShubmanGill played a great knock with a positive approach, giving India the start they needed. @imkohli, with his 47th ton, played a fine knock as usual, alongside @klrahul. Watching @imKuldeep18, one of my own fav bowler was a treat.— Saqlain Mushtaq (@Saqlain_Mushtaq) September 11, 2023
The game started on Sunday (September 10) but rain pushed it to the reserve day.
Kohli and Rahul resumed at the score of 147 for 2 in 24.1 overs on Monday after rain delayed the start by 100 minutes.
While Kohli went on to score his 47th ton (122 not out), Rahul marked his comeback with an unbeaten 111.
Defending a mammoth 356, the Indian bowlers left no room for errors.
Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, and Hardik Pandya got a wicket each to leave Pakistan reeling early on.
Meanwhile, Kuldeep then began the demolition and by the time he was done, he had figures of 5 for 25.
The Indian bowling attack was relentless, not allowing Pakistani batters to form a partnership. Notably, it was India’s biggest win in terms of runs against Pakistan.
With the historic victory against Pakistan, India clinched the top spot in Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s points table.
In the post-match presentation, Kohli said that he is mentally prepared to return to the pitch on Tuesday (September 12) to play for the third straight day.
“I was pushing for those runs and happy for it, but I was thinking I need to play at 3 pm tomorrow. It is the first time I have done anything like this in 15 years of cricket. Luckily we are Test players, so we know how to come back the next day and play. Recovery is crucial. It was humid out there today. I am 35 in November, so I need to take care of my recovery,” Kohli said.
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