'Shaheen is subconsciously in his mind' - Shoaib Akhtar dissects Rohit Sharma's back-to-back failures vs Pakistan

India’s woes against left-arm seamers were once again highlighted during their Asia Cup fixture against Pakistan as Shaheen Afridi ran through their batting order. The Pakistan speedster got the prized scalps of Indian captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in back-to-back overs to make Indian fans relive the horrors of the 2021 T20 World Cup.

The Indian skipper was dismissed after scoring 11 (22) losing his wicket the second time against Afridi in three games. Commenting on Rohit’s dismal performance, former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said that Afridi has been playing with his mind and forced him to change his stance which eventually led to his dismissal.

“Yeh Rohit Sharma woh Rohit Sharma hai hi nahi. Yeh uska stunt double hai. Shaheen uske dimaag mein baith gaya hai. (This is not the same Rohit Sharma. This one's a stunt double. Shaheen has conquered his mind). I have never seen him change his stance, but what was happening there? Stance change kara, beat hua, bowled hua (He changed his stance and got bowled). Shaheen is subconsciously in his mind. This is what pressure of IND vs PAK match does to players,” Akhtar said on Star Sports' Game Plan.

Rohit shines with the bat vs Nepal

After a poor show against Pakistan, Rohit redeemed himself in the second fixture against Nepal as he played a brilliant knock of 74* (59) smashing six fours and five sixes in his innings. He forged an unbeaten match-winning partnership of 147 off 121 balls with Shubman Gill (67 off 62). Courtesy of their massive stand, India chased down the DLS revised target of 145 in 20.1 overs without losing any wickets and qualified for the Super 4 stage.

Meanwhile, India and Pakistan are all ready to clash once again in the Asia Cup in the Super 4 fixture on Sunday, September 10 at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. Having failed to leave an impact in the first game, Rohit will be hungry for a big score against the arch-rivals in the upcoming game.