On Saturday, September 2, as India and Pakistan squared up in Match 3 of the Asia Cup 2023, the tension in the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele, was evident. Indian captain Rohit Sharma chose to bat first despite the likelihood of rain throughout the match.
In order to make the ball dance to their music, Pakistani seamers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi took advantage of the favorable cloudy weather. As he set up both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and managed to claim their coveted scalps, Afridi in particular looked at his dangerous best, putting India on the back foot from away.
In the fifth over, right after the rain delay, Afridi first got past the Indian captain’s line of defense and smashed his stumps. In the beginning, the left-arm seamer twice curved the ball away from Sharma; subsequently, he sharply brought one back into him, which later smashed the stumps.
As soon as Sharma was out, Kohli strode to the crease and immediately showed that he meant business by hitting Naseem Shah for a magnificent cover drive on just his fourth delivery. India was in trouble at 27/2 when he sliced the ball back onto his stumps in the following over against Afridi.
Virat Kohli got out in a similar style of KL Rahul got out last year .. match over ;pic.twitter.com/0mxvh4jvCI
— Kanhaiya Lal Saran (@SaranKL_) September 2, 2023