Is Really Shubman Gill SLEDGED Pakistani Speed Star Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi has a reputation for picking up wickets early in an innings, usually in his opening stint. Shubman Gill, who faced Shaheen in the U19 World Cup, will be a wicket to watch for the Pakistani bowler.
Anticipating the Asia Cup 2023 match between India and Pakistan, the excitement is mounting outside the stadium. Even while the players on both teams don't take the matches as seriously as the spectators do these days, it's still true that the players' motivation to perform well against one another endures.
We have witnessed numerous rivalries between two teams' players over the years. Imran Khan versus Kapil Dev, Javed Miandad versus Sunil Gavaskar, Shoaib Akhtar versus Sachin Tendulkar, and Virat Kohli versus Pakistani bowlers.
When the two sides meet each other in the Asia Cup, there may be evidence of a new player rivalry.
India's rising batting sensation Shubman Gill and Pakistan's top pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi will square off in this player fight. Shubman will be playing in an international match against Pakistan for the first time.
Few people are aware that Gill has already confronted Shaheen. That happened in 2018 while New Zealand hosted the ICC U19 World Cup.
In the semi-final encounter, Gill had just crushed Bangladesh with a stunning 86. A Pakistani pacer welcomed Gill with a furious bouncer. Shubman was soon sledged by Shaheen and Muhammad Musa, the other pacer.
Shubman was not pleased with what was said, according to The Indian Express. "Hum Bangladesh ke bowlers nahi hai (We are not Bangladesh's bowlers)" was the statement made by the bowler and his bowling partner to me.I remained silent," stated Gill.
The intent of the Pakistani bowlers was to demonstrate that they were not bowlers from Bangladesh who were easy to score against. Shubman maintained his composure and did not lose it at that moment. However, he had to respond with his bat.
He removed a fast bowler in the following over and said to Shaheen and Musa, "I am not a Pakistani batter either," as he crossed 22 yards for a run.
Shaheen and Shubman will face off more than five years after that contest. Shubman is likely to be faced with Shaheen's opening ball of the innings or match, and both of them will undoubtedly be thinking back to their passionate exchange from five years ago.
After those U19 days, both had advanced significantly. Pakistan's finest pacer these days is Shaheen. A rising batting talent is Shubman. They are both 23 years old and Pakistan cricket's future. Anticipate a lot of confrontations between Shubman and Shaheen in the future.