"Indian top order went out faster than Aditya L1"- Top 10 funny memes as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli fail against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023
Left-arm swing bowling has once again proved to be the Indian top-order batter's kryptonite. Ace Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi broke the backbone of the Indian batting line-up in the Asia Cup 2023 match on Saturday (September 2) by dismissing Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli cheaply.
Team India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first in the contest at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. Indian openers got off to a watchful start as Pakistan pacers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah bowled well with the new ball.
They reached 15/0 in 4.2 overs before rain forced the officials to pause the action and take the players off the field. Rohit (11) looked comfortable at the crease till then and looked assured with his defense and shot-making.
The break came at the wrong time for him, as he lost his wicket without adding a single run to his tally of 11 runs right after the play resumed. Shaheen Afridi tried to bowl fuller before the rain-induced break. He pulled back a bit and bowled good length later and immediately reaped the rewards as he cleaned up Rohit with a sumptuous delivery.
Kohli came in next and hit a glorious cover drive to get himself going. Shaheen Afridi dismissed him in his next over to give Pakistan a massive breakthrough. The batting stalwart tried to steer the length ball towards the third man, but the ball took an inside edge and dislodged the stumps.
Fans were highly disappointed after Rohit and Virat fell cheaply in a pressure match against Pakistan. They pointed out the duo's weakness against left-arm swing bowlers over the past years and expressed their reactions by sharing intriguing memes.
Here are some of the best memes:
Indian batting line-up collapses after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's early departures
After Shaheen Afridi triggered a collapse by dismissing two of India's premier batters, Haris Rauf complemented his efforts with a couple of wickets. Shreyas Iyer looked positive during his stay at the crease as he scored 14 off 9 balls. Iyer's comeback knock ended prematurely after he hit Rauf's short ball straight into the hands of the fielder.
Shubman Gill (10 in 32 balls) fought hard for 14 overs against a high-quality Pakistan attack. Haris Rauf cleaned him up in the 15th over to reduce Men in Blue to 66/4.