Shaheen Shah Afridi: Virat Kohli Is India’s Spinal Cord And Once One Gets KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli Out, It Gets Difficult For Middle Order Batsmen
Shaheen Shah Afridi became the first Pakistani to win the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year award. Shaheen Shah Afridi took three wickets for 31 runs by removing the top three of the Indian batting order — Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli — to play a major role in Pakistan’s 10-wicket win over their arch-rivals.
“The end I was bowling from, the leg-side boundary was smaller, say about 60-65 meter only. If I had bowled straight and fast at him [Virat Kohli], he would have flicked me or pulled me for runs.
“So I wanted to mix things up and bowl a slow bouncer at him, so that it would have been difficult for him to go leg-side. Luckily for me, the ball gripped and he got out. I admire Virat Kohli a lot, he’s one of the best around.”
“Rohit, Rahul and Kohli are their mainstays and three of the best batsmen in the world. Kohli is their spinal cord. And once you get them out, it gets difficult for the middle order. And if one of them bats deep, it gets easier for the batsman coming in later. Since I was getting some swing in that match – and the team anyway wants wickets from me early on – I was trying to pitch it up to Rohit and Rahul and I was able to get both of them out.”
Shaheen Shah Afridi ran through Team India’s top order after he got rid of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in his opening spell. Then he came back to dismiss Virat Kohli, who scored a half-century. He finished with 3-31 after dismissing India’s top scorer, skipper Virat Kohli for 57 in a total of 151-7 in 20 overs.
Shaheen Shah Afridi Honestly Admitted India-Pakistan Match Day Was A Great Day For Him
The win against India in the 2021 T20I World Cup was Pakistan’s first win in 13 World Cup matches (seven in the 50 over World Cup and six in the Twenty20 World Cup) dating back to 1992 in Australia. The two neighbouring countries have not played bilateral cricket since January 2013 wherein Pakistan visited their neighbours wherein they played 2 T20Is and 3 ODIs. The two teams have not met in a bilateral Test series since the 2007-08 season.
“It was a great day for me, to be honest. A lot of people watch India-Pakistan matches, including those who don’t even like cricket (laughs). When I look back on that win, I feel very proud. Yes, we couldn’t win the World Cup but we did well in that game against India and I’ll try to give my best even in the next World Cup.”
The terrific spell of Shaheen Shah Afridi (3/31) restricted India to 151/7 in 20 overs. In response, Pakistan chased down it comfortably as the captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan scripted a historic 10-wicket win. Babar Azam scored 68 runs in 52 balls while Mohammad Rizwan played even better with a knock of 55-ball 79 runs.