In Asia Cup 2023, the high-profile India vs Pakistan match will take place in less than a week at the Pallekele International Stadium in Sri Lanka. And the match’s main talking point will be the competition between Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi and India’s top order especially Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
There is no denying India’s susceptibility to left-arm seamers: Mohammad Amir in the 2017 Champions Trophy, Trent Boult in the ODI World Cup semifinals in 2019, and Shahid Afridi in the 2021 T20 World Cup are a few of the examples.
Now India has thus secured their sole like-for-like substitute at the Asia Cup 2023 training camp in Alur in an effort to counter the towering left-arm seamer, Shaheen Afridi.
In preparation for the continental competition, which will be followed by the ODI World Cup at home, India hitters were grouped into pairs to bat in match simulations in a centre-wicket drill at the KSCA facility on Days 2 and 3.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma practising for Asia Cup 2023
On Saturday, Aniket Choudhary, a tall left-arm bowler, was ordered to bowl at Rohit Sharma, who was batting alongside KL Rahul. Virat Kohli also faced the southpaw pacer.
The 33-year-old Aniket has never represented India before, and while he may lack Afridi’s talent for getting late movement, his appearance at the practice net will at least give India an idea of what the Pakistan pacer might be like.
In international cricket, the two (Shaheen and Rohit) have only met three times. Rohit had managed 19 off 18 against the southpaw in their lone ODI meeting during the 2018 Asia Cup, en route to his match-winning century.
However, Rohit was dismissed for a golden duck in Dubai during the 2021 T20 World Cup match when Shaheen made a comeback as a more experienced bowler. However, the India captain was able to neutralize the left-armer in their 2022 T20 World Cup match when he scored four out of five.
Shaheen Afridi, on the other hand, struck out 29 right-handers in 20 innings since last WC, striking out 22 on average, with 10 of those strikeouts occurring with fresh balls.
