“Today was not the day to do this” - Wasim Akram hits out at Babar Azam for receiving signed jersey from Virat Kohli
Wasim Akram criticized Babar Azam for his post-match bonhomie with Virat Kohli, which included the Pakistan captain receiving a signed jersey from the Indian batter. According to Akram, Babar should have refrained from accepting the jersey in front of the public and should have done it behind closed doors.
India hammered Pakistan by seven wickets in the 2023 World Cup match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Following the game, a video went viral on social media in which Babar was seen receiving a signed jersey from Kohli.
While the camaraderie between the two players was widely appreciated by social media, Akram was not too pleased. He expressed his disapproval during a discussion on “The Pavilion” show on A Sports.
A fan asked a question during the show which went as follows:
“I can see Babar is receiving two shirts from Virat Kohli. Everybody is showing this clip over and over again. But after your fans are so hurt after a disappointing performance, this should be a private matter, it should not be done in an open ground.”
Agreeing with the fan’s observation, Akram replied:
“That’s what I exactly said when I saw the picture [getting the shirts publicly, not privately]. Today was not the day to do this. If you want to do it – if your uncle’s son has asked you to get Kohli’s shirt - then do it after the game in the dressing room.”
Pakistan were bowled out for 191 in 42.5 overs after being asked to bat first. India chased down the target in 30.3 overs.
“Bhaiya hame ye batao aap logo ne kya plan kiya tha?” - Akram lashes out at Mickey Arthur
During the show, Akram also hit out at Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur for his statement that the World Cup match in Ahmedabad looked more like a BCCI event than an ICC event due to the absence of Pakistani fans.
According to Akram, Arthur was talking about random stuff. He also questioned Pakistan’s preparations for the game.
"Bhaiya hame ye batao aap logo ne kya plan kiya tha? (Brother, tell me what was the plan?) Kuldeep Yadav ko kaese khelna hai? (How did you prepare to play Kuldeep Yadav?) That's what we want to hear. Not this random stuff. You think you can get away with this. No, you can't, unfortunately," the former Pakistan captain commented.
Pakistan were reasonably placed at 155/2 in the match against India, only to lose 36/8 and collapse to 191 all out.