Rain played spoilsport as India and Pakistan had to return with a point shared from their Asia Cup 2023 match. Having posted a total of 266 runs on the board, the Indian team didn’t get the opportunity to bowl a single ball, as persistent rain at the Pallekele International Stadium made play impossible in the second innings. As fans rued poor weather conditions, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to troll fans from across the border.
Pakistan put themselves in the driving seat with the quick dismissals of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli. But, Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya took the Indian team out of danger and helped post a challenging score on the board.
Many fans on X, however, felt that Pakistan had an advantage in the game and would’ve won had rain not forced them to share the spoils. Irfan, however, felt otherwise.
“Bahot saare Padosiyon ke TV bach gaye aaj;) (A lot of TVs of neighbours were saved today),” he posted on X.
Bahot saare Padosiyon ke TV bach gaye aaj;)
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) September 2, 2023
Even Pakistan speedster Shaheen Afridi, who picked 4 wickets in the match against India, felt that his team had the match in its hand.
“After the big partnership, Hardik Pandya’s wicket was very crucial at that time. Had the match happened, the result was in our hands, but we can’t do anything about the weather. Overall, our performance was good,” Shaheen said after the game.
As a result of the abandoned clash, Pakistan qualified for the Super 4 stage of the tournament, having already beaten Nepal in their opening clash. For the Indian team to reach the next stage of the tournament, Rohit Sharma’s men would need to beat Nepal, who have made their Asia Cup debut.
India and Pakistan are expected to face each other at least once more in the tournament.
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