T20 World Cup 2024: Gulbadin Naib comes up with hilarious response to Ravi Ashwin's 'red card' remark during Bangladesh clash

Afghanistan's all-rounder Gulbadin Naib found himself at the center of controversy during a crucial Super Eight match of the T20 World Cup 2024 against Bangladesh on Tuesday. The incident, which involved an alleged 'made-up' injury, sparked a debate on social media, with Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin calling for strict action. Naib has now come up with a humourous response to Ashwin's take on the incident.

The Afghanistan Cricket Team made history by qualifying for the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time. They achieved this feat by defeating Bangladesh in a nail-biting encounter at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, St Vincent.

Also read: Afghanistan players dance in team bus to celebrate semi-finals qualification, video goes viral

The match was not without its share of drama, particularly during a crucial moment when Naib appeared to suffer a hamstring injury while fielding in the slips. The incident occurred just before a rain break, with Bangladesh at 81 for 7, and trailing by just two runs on the DLS method.

As drizzle began, Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott signaled the players to slow down the game. Cameras then captured Naib falling to the ground, clutching his hamstring. This move raised eyebrows, with many speculating it was a tactic to manipulate the game's outcome.

The controversy intensified when Ravichandran Ashwin took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), sarcastically calling for a red card for Naib's actions. In response, Naib cleverly replied, "Kabhi khushi kabhi gham main hota hai, Hamstring."

I don't know what happened to him and I don't know what's going on: Rashid Khan

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan opened up about Naib's injury, stating that the incident hardly had any impact on the game as the game resumed after only 5 minutes. 

"Well, he had some cramp, I don't know what happened to him and I don't know what's going on in social media but that doesn't matter. It's just an on-field injury that happens, the rain came and we just went off, it's not something [that] brought a massive difference in the game. We came back on the field after five minutes and there was no massive difference. For me, it's just like a small injury happens, then you have to take some time," Khan said in the post-match press conference. 

Also read: Rashid Khan highlights Brian Lara's accurate prediction of Afghanistan as semi-finalists in T20 World Cup

Despite the controversy, Afghanistan's narrow eight-run victory secured them a spot in the semifinals, where they will face an unbeaten South African side on July 27 in Trinidad. The other semifinal will see England take on India on the same day in Guyana.