How India can dissolve the Shaheen Shah Afridi risk in Indo-Pak clashes? In a match that featured a number of the largest superstars in world cricket, there was just one title that reigned supreme – Afridi. The tempo spearhead of the Green Army bagged not one however two prized scalps within the rain-marred contest between the normal rivals on the Asia Cup 2023 on Saturday.

Pacer Afridi first bamboozled Indian skipper Rohit Sharma. He then outsmarted Virat Kohli, who had simply introduced out his signature cowl drive to focus on his type within the earlier over. The premier pacer of the two-time Asia Cup winners had silenced the Indian supporters at a packed Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka.

ALSO READ: Jasprit Bumrah to miss India’s Asia Cup match against Nepal as pacer returns to Mumbai due to personal reasons

‘Bowling adjustments did not make any sense’

Though Afridi owned the Indian top-order along with his bowling masterclass, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar continues to be not satisfied that Babar Azam’s Pakistan aspect performed their playing cards proper towards rivals India on the continental event. Talking in regards to the blockbuster India-Pakistan showdown, batting legend Gavaskar opined that the bowling adjustments of Babar did not make any sense to him.

“I think the bowling changes didn’t make any sense because if you have three bowlers, the pace bowlers have taken the early wickets, you want to keep at least one ongoing from one end. I know that you can’t really go through long spells, but one person could have been bowling from one end and Shadab or Nawaz from the other end,” Gavaskar told India Today.

‘India will be saying a big thank you because…’

Suggesting Babar clearly missed a trick in India’s Asia Cup opener, Gavaskar observed that Rohit and Co. managed to stage a fightback after a top-order collapse. Middle-order stars Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan smashed half-centuries to help India register a fighting total. Pandya and Kishan’s fifth-wicket stand was worth 138 runs off 141 balls.

Batting icon Gavaskar claimed that India would have struggled to cross the 200-run mark if the Pakistani pacers had dismissed either Pandya or Kishan earlier in the innings. When Afridi returned to dismiss Pandya for 87 off 90 balls, the Kishan-starer side had already scored 239 runs in 43 overs.“I mean India will be saying a big thank you because that’s what allowed the partnership to flourish because otherwise, if one of the pacers had taken just that one wicket between Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya, then maybe India would have struggled to reach even 175, 200,” Gavaskar added.