Rohit Sharma seemed quite nervous facing Shaheen Shah Afridi: Shoaib Akhtar

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan cricket team fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar commented on India’s captain Rohit Sharma’s dismissal by Shaheen Shah Afridi’s delivery, saying, “He could have played a bit better.”

The result of the match played between Pakistan and India in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, could not be determined due to rain, but cricket enthusiasts and analysts in Pakistan and India are still discussing it.

Sending four Indian batters packing in the initial overs of the match by Pakistan’s fast bowlers is the focal point of discussions, after which Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya provided support to the team’s batting line-up, setting a reasonable score on the board.

India’s entire team was dismissed for 266 runs in the 49th over. At one point, India had lost four key batsmen at just 66 runs.

Pakistan’s fast bowlers took all of India’s wickets. Shaheen Shah Afridi took four, while Nasim Shah and Haris Rauf took three wickets each.

Commenting on his YouTube channel about the Pakistan vs India match, Shoaib Akhtar said, “Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled brilliantly. Everyone knows what he can do. He brought the ball in with full pace to the batsmen, but Rohit Sharma still couldn’t handle those deliveries.”

Pak vs India: Rain has won

Shoaib Akhtar added, “However, Rohit Sharma should have known what to do, as he faced Shaheen Shah Afridi in the past in 2022. But due to fewer matches, he doesn’t get many opportunities to play against Pakistan.”

In Saincher’s match, the Indian captain adopted an aggressive approach at the beginning because his opening partner Shubman Gill was finding it challenging against Shaheen Shah Afridi and Nasim Shah.

Afridi dismissed Rohit Sharma with a clean bowl in the fifth over. This was the second time he was out on Shaheen Shah Afridi’s delivery. Previously, in 2021, he had a similar LBW dismissal.

Shoaib Akhtar commented about the Indian captain, “I don’t think Rohit Sharma could understand Shaheen Shah Afridi’s deliveries; he was completely unsuccessful in comprehending them. Rohit’s dismissals in this manner are not a good sight. He is a much better player than that. I think he was a bit too nervous.”