Confronting one of the most formidable modern-day white-ball bowlers in a high-stakes clash posed an entirely distinct challenge and India's top order found themselves unable to decipher the puzzle once again.
India’s recurring struggle against left-arm seamers came to the forefront once more in their 2023 Asia Cup opener against Pakistan, with the haunting presence of Shaheen Shah Afridi. This young fast bowler had previously wreaked havoc in their 2021 T20 World Cup encounter, prompting India to enlist the services of uncapped Indian left-arm pacer Ankit Chaudhury as a net bowler during their six-day training camp for the continental event.
However, confronting one of the most formidable modern-day white-ball bowlers in a high-stakes clash posed an entirely distinct challenge and India’s top order found themselves unable to decipher the puzzle once again.
In their tournament opener, after choosing to bat first, India skipper Rohit Sharma steered India to a steady start. He accumulated 15 runs in the initial 26 balls before a rain interruption halted proceedings at Pallekele Stadium for the first time. Upon resumption, Shaheen altered his approach, seeking to exploit the pitch’s characteristics and swiftly dismissed Rohit with a sharp nip-backer in just his third delivery. A mere over later, he repeated his feat against Kohli, marking the second occasion in his international career when the illustrious batter inadvertently guided an outside-off delivery onto the stumps.
Shaheen, who eventually secured a four-wicket haul by claiming the scalps of Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja during the death overs, was asked to make a choice between the two prized wickets when he was given the new ball after Pakistan bundled out India for 266 runs in 48.5 overs.
“I think both (Virat and Rohit) were crucial wickets, every batter is the same for me. But I think I liked Rohit’s wicket better,” he said at the innings break.
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His response was nothing short of audacious, leaving an indelible mark. These two crucial wickets enabled Shaheen to etch a remarkable ODI record, as he became the first bowler ever to dismiss both Kohli and Rohit through bowled dismissals in the same ODI innings. In the end, Shaheen concluded with figures of 4 for 35, ranking as his third-best bowling performance in an ODI match.
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