The likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma seemed to be clueless against Shaheen Shah Afridi’s bowling brilliance when India and Pakistan locked horns in the group-stage game of the Asia Cup 2023. The men in blue had a decent start after opting to bat first. But they lost the rhythm after a brief rain interruption. Afridi struck right after the rain break and cleaned up Indian captain Rohit Sharma before castling Virat Kohli.
India were reeling at 66 for 4 in the 15th over when wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya joined forces and stitched a 138-run stand for the 5th wicket. The partnership was broken in the 38th over when Haris Rauf got Kishan caught by Babar Azam. Afridi then returned to bowl his second spell and picked up the prized wickets of Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja in the same over.
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The left-arm quick was the pick of Pakistani bowlers, returning magical figures of 4 for 35 in 10 overs. Shaheen was trending on microblogging site X and former Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also heaped on the young pacer but while doing that he took a sharp dig at the Indian batters.
“THEY CANNOT PLAY HIM,” posted the former Pakistan PM.
“THEY CANNOT PLAY HIM” https://t.co/wYmOCFezDR— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) September 2, 2023
Sharif’s remarks weren’t welcomed by the Indian supporters and they began trolling him in the comment section. Here’s how they reacted.
Like you couldn’t play me …— Imran Khan (Parody) (@ImranAOC) September 2, 2023
And “YOU CANNOT PLAY HIM” pic.twitter.com/rwnmN6Nueb— Shilpa (@shilpa_cn) September 2, 2023
“THEY CAN’T DEFEAT HIM” pic.twitter.com/0IpQTMRe3w— Prtham (@77thHundredWhen) September 2, 2023
Tu hi panoti hai— Ambreeeen.. (@Nostalgicc_A) September 2, 2023
Former PM of Pak is tweeting like this unbelievable.— Sohel. (@SohelVkf) September 2, 2023
Office me kaam nahi hai kya Bhai?— Tarique Hasan || Tofi (@tariquespeaks) September 2, 2023
Shaab Ji,Apne mulkk ki economy pr dhyan do phele.
— Gautamgg.eth/sol ❤️ (@Gautamguptagg) September 2, 2023
While most of the Indian batters surrendered to Pakistan’s bowling attack, the duo of Pandya and Kishan showcased a commendable temperament under pressure. Hardik Pandya made 87 while Ishan Kishan slammed 82 in a vital 138-run partnership for the fifth wicket in a remarkable recovery act to help India overcome a top-order collapse and make 266 in 48.5 overs.
But persistent rain, which had caused interruptions twice during India’s innings, came back with greater force, forcing the ground to be fully covered. With an inspection at 9 pm local time and cut-off time at 10:27 pm, the match was finally called off due to a wet outfield.
As a result, Pakistan qualified for the Super Four stage of the competition, making the India-Nepal match at the same venue on Monday a must-win for Rohit Sharma & Co to enter the next phase of the tournament.
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