India vs Pakistan: Shaheen Shah Afridi staying rent free in our minds ...

India vs Pakistan: Shaheen Afridi is living rent free in the minds of the Indian batters, feels Aakash Chopra. Shaheen picked up 4 wickets vs India in the first match between in the sides in Asia Cup 2023.

Shaheen Afridi picked 4 wickets vs India in Kandy (AP)

Pakistan pacers performed exceedingly well against India in their first match between India and Pakistan. After electing to bat first at Pallekele on Saturday, 3 September, India faltered and were down by four wickets in the first 15 overs of the match.

Asia Cup 2023, IND vs PAK: Match Report

The chief destructor was Shaheen Shah Afridi, who removed both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in his opening spell, and later dismissed Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja with the old ball. Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra lauded the pacer and said that Shaheen was the player of the match for him before the game was abandoned due to rain.

"We need to first talk about the Player of the Match even if it did not end up as a proper game. There are a lot of contenders. Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya played 80-odd run knocks, which took India to a position from where they could have fought. But my Player of the Match is Shaheen Shah Afridi," Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Chopra said that Shaheen has been living rent free in the minds of the India batters. Shaheen bowled well from the start and found swing after the first rain interruption in the game. He dismissed Rohit with an inswinger and then was able to get rid of Virat Kohli with a ball that held its line going across from him.

"He opens you up at the start. The guy has class and swings the ball at a good pace. At the moment, it seems like he is staying rent-free in our minds because when he starts his run-up, I don't know what the batters think, but we feel that he will hit the pads or dismiss the batter," Chopra concluded.

India were able to score 266 runs, courtesy of two brilliant half-centuries from Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya. The duo added 138 runs between themselves in an aggressive partnership. India will next play Nepal in the Asia Cup 2023.