'Aap nahi khele, achha laga' - Shaheen Afridi reacts hilariously after Indian supporter thanks him for missing IND-PAK clash

In both the teams' first face-off against each other after the T20 World Cup last year, Team India defeated Pakistan by a margin of five wickets. In the Asia Cup 2022 fixture, on last Sunday, the Rohit Sharma-led Men in Blue dished out Pakistan on 147, and they then successfully chased down the score with just two balls remaining, thanks to Hardik Pandya’s all-round brilliance.

Shaheen Afridi’s absence in the game was surely felt, but Pakistan could not do anything about it. However, the 22-year-old pacer was present at the venue on the day of the contest as he had traveled with the Pakistan team even though being injured and ruled out of the tournament. But he has not yet completely recovered from his knee injury.

Though Afridi could not take the field and be a part of the combination, he experienced what every other viewer of the game experienced as both the teams put up a thrilling contest. A video went viral on Instagram where an Indian fan is seen greeting Afridi, but what grabbed attention was when he told Afridi that he felt good not seeing him play against India.

“Aap nahi khele, achha laga. Bach gaye. (It felt good that you did not play, we were saved),” the fan said. When the fan made the remark, Afridi laughed as they both posed for a photo.

Pakistan eye the final Super Four spot

Afridi last played against India in the T20 World Cup 2021 and became the hero of the game. He was the reason behind Pakistan’s thumping victory against the Men in Blue. He dismissed KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma within just three overs of the innings, and then went on to pick the crucial wicket of the then skipper Virat Kohli.

But this time, Pakistan had the debutant Naseem Shah, a 19-year-old pacer who put India in trouble in the very first over when he dismissed KL Rahul for a golden duck. He was very impressive but faced an injury while bowling the final few overs. Nevertheless, he is in the playing XI for the ongoing game against Hong Kong. If Pakistan win the fixture tonight, they’ll face India again on Sunday, September 4.