Shaheen Shah Afridi has been a vital cog in Pakistan's scheme of things across all formats and has been the country's star performer in the past few years. Last year, he was the tormentor-in-chief against India in the T20 World Cup, securing Pakistan's first-ever win over their larger South Asian neighbor after taking the big wickets of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Suryakumar Yadav. However, Shaheen Afridi is set to miss the entire Asia Cup tournament this year because of a Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) injury.
According to Waqar Younis, who himself terrorized many Indians with his art of reverse swing during his heydays, Shaheen Afridi's absence gives India a massive advantage. After news about Afridi came out, Waqar Younis tweeted that the left-arm swing bowler's unavailability was a “big relief” for India's top order batters because he had troubled all of them in the past.
“Shaheen's injury Big relief for the Indian top order batsmen. Sad we won't be seeing him in #AsiaCup2022 Get fit soon Champ @iShaheenAfridi,” Waqar Younis tweeted last week.
His tweet had created a massive controversy in India because many felt that his choice of words was disrespectful towards the Men in Blue. However, Waqar Younis has now come out with a clarification, claiming that he was just creating the much-needed hype for the blockbuster contest.
“Shaheen ki absence ek big relief toh hai saare openers ke liye. Indians ka maine bas thoda masala… but ye bhi mohabbat nai, aisa nahi hai ke koi dushmani hai. (Shaheen's absence is a big relief to all openers but I tweeted about Indians just to spice it up. It's just banter and I don't have any hatred towards anyone)” the legendary Pakistan pacer told veteran journalist Vimal Kumar in an interaction organized by OneCricket.
“I can point out some technical issues as well. If you look at the history, Indian openers in World Cup or Champions Trophy struggle against left-arm pacers who bring the ball back into right-handers. A left-arm fast bowler who gets the ball to move in will trouble anyone, not just Indians. Any batter would not like the ball coming in towards the stumps. As a bowler, I always advise hitting the top of those three stumps. Shaheen's delivery comes in nicely from a good height… that is a big problem for the openers,” he added.
If Shaheen Afridi's absence is a big blow to Pakistan, missing premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is a massive setback for India. Team India will be without their pace spearhead during the Asia Cup after he was sidelined with a back problem.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli is appearing in his 100th T20I match on Sunday and he will look to end his barren run with the bat with a match-winning knock.
“My main aim is to help India win the Asia Cup and the World Cup and I am ready to do anything for the team to make it possible,” Virat Kohli said ahead of the Asia Cup contest against Pakistan.
During last month's tour of England, the former India captain managed to score just 76 runs in his six outings in a Test match, and two ODIs and T20Is each.
While he perished at scores of 11 and 20 in the rescheduled fifth and final Test against the Three Lions in Edgbaston, Virat Kohli was dismissed for 1 and 11 in the T20I games in Birmingham and Trent Bridge.
Though he missed the first clash of the ODI series because of a groin injury, he didn't succeed in changing his fortunes in the remaining two 50-over matches as he registered a total of 33 runs, making 16 and 17 at the Lord's and Old Trafford respectively.
Before that, Virat Kohli had a horror run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he could score only 341 runs at a mediocre average of 22.73 in 16 games in the tournament.
Virat Kohli last made a century in any form of international cricket in the historic Pink-ball Test against Bangladesh in November 2019.
Since then, he has gone 78 consecutive knocks without a three-figure score on the international stage.
It has been more than a thousand days since Virat Kohli reached a three-figure score for India and the debate over his form continues unabated among the pundits.
However, this weekend, Kohli will have an opportunity to rejuvenate himself against Pakistan, an opposition against whom he has enjoyed great success in the past.
His highest score of 183 in ODIs came against Pakistan in the continental tournament back in 2012.
“The Asia Cup always has been memorable. The 183 definitely stands out because that was kind of a revelation for me. At 23, I could play at that level. Big game, Sunday, Pakistan in a big chase. I kind of surprised myself. From there my belief grew more and more,” Virat Kohli said remembering his epic knock in a video posted by the BCCI on its website on Saturday.
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