"If Shahid Afridi is still to bat, there would be fear in the opposition" - Harbhajan Singh recalls playing against former Pakistan captain
Former Team India spinner Harbhajan Singh recently spoke about how Shahid Afridi instilled fear in the opposition camp. He mentioned that even the Men in Blue had to spend some extra minutes in the team meeting to plan for the ex-Pakistan skipper.
Harbhajan suggested that Afridi, with his swashbuckling batting, was capable of swinging the pendulum in his side's favor in just a matter of few deliveries. Speaking on-air during Pakistan's 2024 T20 World Cup match against Canada, the cricketer-turned-commentator stated:
"Doesn't matter how much time he spent on the wicket, but he added the duration of our team meeting. I can remember the World Cup match of 2007. If Shahid Afridi is still to bat, there would be fear in the opposition. He can change the course of the match if he plays 10-15 balls. He had the ability to take the game deep."
Shahid Afridi is widely regarded as one of Pakistan's greatest-ever white-ball cricketers. The all-rounder finished his career with 11,196 runs and 541 wickets to his name across formats in international cricket.
"As soon as he got out, half the job was done for India" - Harbhajan Singh on Shahid Afridi's dismissal in 2007 T20 World Cup final
Recalling the 2007 T20 World Cup final between India and Pakistan, Harbhajan Singh mentioned that India gained a commanding position in the contest after Shahid Afridi was dismissed cheaply.
Afridi was dismissed by Irfan Pathan for a golden duck. Speaking about the dismissal, Harbhajan said during the aforementioned conversation:
"Irfan Pathan and Shahid Afridi exchanged a few words. The first ball that Afridi faced, Irfan bowled a bouncer and said something. The very next ball, Afridi tried to play a big shot and lost his wicket. As soon as he got out, half the job was done for India."
Harbhajan Singh further commented on the 2011 World Cup match between the two arch-rivals, where he got the better of Afridi.
"In the 2011 World Cup, the first ball I bowled to him was a yorker. He left the next delivery, and I knew that he was ready to play a big shot on the third ball. He got out while trying to do that, and we knew that we could not lose the game from there. He was one such player who could win his team a match from any given point," he added.
Afridi scored 19 runs in the 2011 World Cup semi-final against eventual champions India. Pakistan suffered a 29-run loss in the knockout fixture, failing to chase down a 261-run target.