Shaheen Afridi reveals strategy to dismiss India's top three guns during T20 WC 2021

Pakistan’s star pacer Shaheen Afridi was adjudged the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year award for his outstanding performances at the highest level with the ball in hand as he registered 78 scalps from 36 games averaging 22.20 in the year gone by. While Afridi had a dream year in 2021, his best performance came against arch-rivals India in the Super 12 fixture of the T20 World Cup 2021 where he dismissed the Men In Blue’s famed top three batters as the Men In Green finally broke their World Cup jinx against the Indian team.

Meanwhile, Shaheen Afridi has revealed how he succeeded in getting the better of openers Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and the then skipper Virat Kohli. India got off to a disastrous start after the tall speedster trapped Rohit plumb in front of the wicket for a duck before disturbing Rahul’s furniture and eventually went on to get the big wicket of Kohli just when he started to accelerate in the death overs.

“Rohit, Rahul, and Kohli are their (Indian team’s) top batters and three of the best in the world. Kohli is their backbone. And once you get them out, gets difficult for the middle order. Of one of them bats deep, it gets easier for those coming in to bat later. I was getting some swing in that match and the team anyway hopes wickets from me early on – so I was trying to pitch it up to Rohit and Rahul and was able to get both of them out,” said Afridi as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Shaheen Afridi explains how he got the better of a well-set Kohli

The left-arm fast bowler then explained how he was able to deceive the batting megastar after he revived the Indian innings with a 49-ball 57. He said that Kohli would have flicked or pulled him had he bowled straight or fast at him but, he decided to mix things up by bowling a slower bouncer and it did the trick.

“The end I was bowling from, the leg-side boundary was smaller, was about 60-65 meter. If I bowled straight and fast at him (Kohli), he would have flicked or pulled for runs. So I wanted to mix things up and bowl a slow bouncer at him. It would become difficult for him to target the leg-side then. Luckily for me, the ball gripped and he got out. I admire Virat Kohli a lot, he’s one of the best in the world,”  he said.

Courtesy of the former captain’s fighting knock, India could reach 151 which was convincingly chased down by Pakistan by 10 wickets and more than two overs to spare.