Virat Kohli failed to live up to expectations in Saturday’s Asia Cup 2023 match between India and Pakistan in Pallekele. India was given a serious fright as their innings ended at 266 even though Pakistan’s innings was dismissed without a ball being bowled. Aside from Ishan Kishan (82) and Hardik Pandya (87), no other batsman was able to rack up a significant total. The two biggest letdowns were Rohit Sharma (11), and Virat Kohli (4). Not only fans but also crickets are disappointed by Virat’s performance. Gautam Gambhir has given a strong verdict on Virat Kohli’s dismissal. Scroll down to read Gautam Gambhir’s bold attack on Virat Kohli.
Gautam Gambhir’s bold attack on Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli scored four runs off a fantastic cover drive off Naseem Shah to start his innings, but he did not remain at the wicket for very long. In the seventh over, Shaheen Afridi also got rid of Virat Kohli after getting rid of Rohit Sharma.
Virat Kohli hit a ball against his stumps on the third ball of Afridi’s seventh over. Different Star Sports broadcasters responded differently to Virat Kohli’s firing. Cricket analysts Waqar Younis and Matthew Hayden described the delivery made by Shaheen Shah Afridi to Rohit Sharma as a “class ball” and saw Virat Kohli’s dismissal as unfortunate. Gautam Gambhir, a former cricketer for India, disagreed with his contemporaries and criticized Kohli for his cavalier treatment of Shaheen.
He said, “That shot didn’t do anything; it didn’t go forward or back. I believe I was too laid back. When you portray someone like Shaheen Afridi, that is what you get. You don’t know whether to go ahead or back.”
Shaheen Afridi received appreciation from Pakistani pace legend Waqar for adjusting the length. “Kohli had a little bad luck. The ball didn’t come onto the bat and may have even stayed a little low inside the edge. But credit must go to Shaheen Shah Afridi for shortening him,” he said.
Rain wins in the IND vs. PAK Asia Cup 2023 match
After a significant top-order collapse against Pakistan, the Indian cricket team was bowled out for 266 runs in the first innings. The Indian team lost players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and Shubman Gill for a total of 66 runs in only 14.1 overs, and it appeared as though the Pakistani pacers would bowl out the squad for a total of less than 150 runs.
On the other hand, Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya had other plans, as they put together the greatest fifth-wicket partnership in an ODI game against Pakistan by scoring 138 runs off 141 balls for the fifth wicket.
Monday’s Group A match of the Asia Cup 2023 features India’s next opponent, Nepal.
