"Khatam ho gya bhai match" - Fans react as Virat Kohli flops with the bat in IND vs PAK at 2023 Asia Cup
Virat Kohli failed to deliver with the bat at the 2023 Asia Cup game between India and Pakistan at Pallekele in Sri Lanka on Saturday, September 2. The right-handed batter was played on by Shaheen Afridi, departing for just four runs off seven balls.
The incident took place in the seventh over of India’s innings. Shaheen bowled a short-length delivery that Kohli tried to punch through the off-side. He ended up getting an inside edge that deflected towards the stumps.
With the wicket, Pakistan reduced India to 27/2, with India captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli already back in the den.
Kohli’s dismissal came as a big setback for the Men in Blue owing to his stellar performances against Pakistan in the past. He entered the game with over 500 runs in 13 ODIs, including two tons against the Men in Green. In the 2022 T20 World Cup, he singlehandedly helped India beat Pakistan, scoring 82* off 53 balls.
Fans on X were disappointed with Virat Kohli’s early dismissal. One wrote:
"Baarish aa jao aab. Mazak nehi raha abb yeh..."
Here are some of the other reactions:
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli depart cheaply as India opt to bat first against Pakistan
India captain Rohit Sharma’s decision to bat first against Pakistan in overcast conditions backfired on Saturday. Rohit was also bowled out by Shaheen before the latter got rid of Virat Kohli.
Shreyas Iyer, who made his comeback after a lengthy injury layoff, also departed for 14 runs off nine deliveries.
At the time of writing, India were 51/3 after 11.2 when rain interrupted play. Shubman Gill (6 off 24) and Ishan Kishan (2 off 6) were at the crease.
India XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (w), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Pakistan XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (w), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.
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