The much-anticipated showdown between Shaheen Afridi and Rohit Sharma in the 2023 World Cup encounter between India and Pakistan in Ahmedabad did not disappoint. Afridi had dismissed Rohit twice before, once in the 2020 T20 World Cup and again last month in the Asia Cup. Nevertheless, Rohit had consistently scored against Shaheen since their first encounter in 2018.
The left-arm angle swinging the ball into Rohit Sharma’s pads had raised concerns among fans. However, those concerns were put to rest in spectacular fashion when the Indian captain elegantly flicked Shaheen Afridi for a boundary off the very first ball during India’s pursuit of 192 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
After smashing a scintillating century against Afghanistan, Rohit Sharma maintained his aggressive form against Pakistan, scoring a dazzling 86 runs in just 63 balls. He treated the 130,000-strong crowd in the stadium to a display of 6 fours and 6 sixes. This impressive performance included a boundary off Shaheen on the first ball of the innings, followed by his signature pull-shot six against the left-arm fast bowler, firmly establishing his dominance in the match.
From the other end, Shubman Gill, who had recently recovered from dengue, played exquisite shots to find the boundary against Shaheen and Rauf in quick succession.
As India was cruising towards victory, Ravi Shastri, while commentating, playfully teased Shaheen Afridi. Shastri humorously pointed out that while people lauded Shaheen’s new ball swing, he believed that though Shaheen could swing the ball, he was still a decent bowler, not yet reaching the status of greatness. Sitting beside Shastri in the commentary box, Irfan Pathan burst into laughter at Shastri’s light-hearted ribbing of Shaheen Afridi.
just Ravi Shastri casually toasting opposition 😂 pic.twitter.com/9lxptlI2pL
— sar (@sarxsxs) October 14, 2023
Regarding the match, Pakistan’s fortunes took a tumble as they went from 155/2 to being all-out for 191, losing their last 8 wickets in a mere 36 runs. Jasprit Bumrah, who delivered a remarkable performance with figures of 2/19 in 7 overs, was named the Player of the Match. Hardik, Siraj, Jadeja, and Kuldeep each chipped in with two wickets.
After Rohit’s brilliant 86, Shreyas Iyer contributed an unbeaten 53 as India comfortably completed the chase with 19.3 overs to spare, propelling them to the top of the points table.