Sharma looks to counter Afridi threat as India gear up for Asia Cup

• Indian captain Rohit Sharma is taking measures to address his struggles against left-arm pacers, especially Shaheen Shah Afridi.
• The Indian batsmen are concentrating on tackling Pakistani fast bowlers during the powerplay.
• The much-anticipated clash between the arch-rivals is scheduled for September 2 in Kandy.

With the Asia Cup 2023 on the horizon, the Indian team is becoming increasingly apprehensive about facing Pakistan’s main fast bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Recent performances by Pakistani pacers against Afghanistan have added to India’s concerns.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who was dismissed by Afridi in the opening over of the Pakistan vs. India match during the T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai, is taking measures to address his struggles against left-arm pacers. Sharma has a history of difficulties when facing left-arm pacers, especially those from Pakistan.

The trend began in 2016 when Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir dismissed him for a duck in the Asia Cup 2016 in Bangladesh. The following year, in the final of the Champions Trophy 2017 at The Oval, Sharma once again fell victim to Amir’s inswinging delivery and was out for a duck.

Sharma’s initial encounter with Afridi took place during the Asia Cup 2018. Despite Afridi being a young talent in the early stages of his international career and Sharma being an experienced veteran, Sharma struggled against the emerging Pakistani bowler, managing only 19 runs off 18 balls.

Their paths crossed again in the group stage match of the T20 World Cup 2021, where Afridi dismissed Sharma on the first ball with a well-directed in-swinging delivery.

Their most recent clash occurred during the T20 World Cup 2022 group stage match. Although India emerged victorious in that game, largely thanks to an exceptional innings by Virat Kohli, Sharma continued to struggle against Afridi, scoring only four runs off five balls.

Apart from Sharma’s difficulties, the Indian batsmen are concentrating on tackling Pakistani fast bowlers during the powerplay due to their recent challenges in this aspect. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli is gearing up to face the spinners in the upcoming tournament.

The much-anticipated clash between the arch-rivals is scheduled for September 2 in Kandy, marking India’s first match in the Asia Cup. There’s also a likelihood of another encounter between the two teams in the super four stages of the tournament.

Squads

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

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