"Watch Your...": Dale Steyn's Warning To Rohit Sharma While Facing Shaheen Afridi In Cricket World Cup

04.10.2023 - 06:59 sports.ndtv.com

India captain Rohit Sharma is one of the finest batters in the world of cricket. From playing mammoth knocks to playing one of the most sensible innings, there is hardly anything the star could not do in batting.

However, even the best get to face challenges and some even trouble them to a great extent; left-arm pacers have been such a concern for Rohit.

Pakistan's ace pacer Shaheen Afridi, who is a left-handed speedster, has managed to keep the batter under pressure more often than not when the side has met India.

Ahead of the start of Cricket World Cup 2023, former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn has sent out a warning to Rohit while facing Shaheen.

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Pakistan legend Waqar Younis on Monday advised misfiring strike bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi to learn from India seamer Jasprit Bumrah if he wants to make an impact at the Cricket World Cup 2023. Shaheen is struggling with his pace and fitness and has been unimpressive in all three games at the World Cup where his four wickets have come at a cost of 139 runs. "I don't know if there is a problem with his fitness," Waqar, who is India as a commentator, told AFP. "The missing link in his bowling is discipline and he is over trying to get wickets. "When you do the same thing again and again, like Shaheen is bowling to get his yorker going, then batsmen know that and they are ready for it."

Cricket World Cup 2023: "Rohit Sharma vs Pakistan Bowlers"- Wasim Jaffer's Meme Sets Internet On Fire

Team India maintained their dominance over arch-rivals Pakistan in the ODI World Cup as they defeated the Babar Azam-led side by seven wickets on Saturday. Opting to bowl, the hosts bundled out Pakistan for 191 with the entire bowling unit contributing equally. Later, skipper Rohit Sharma-led from the front and played a brilliant knock of 86 runs as India chased down the target in 30.3 overs, with seven wickets in hand. With this win, Team India has taken the top spot in the points table with three wins in as many matches.

India vs Pakistan: Ravi Shastri's Boxing Analogy During Toss Leaves Rohit Sharma, Babar Azam Amused During Cricket World Cup 2023 - Watch

Ravi Shastri is well known for his witty quips during commentary and his hilarious punch lines have become fan favourites during high-profile cricket matches. The India vs Pakistan match at the Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday was no different as the legendary India cricketer left both skippers - Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam - amused with his boxing analogy to convey the magnitude of the event. At the beginning of the toss, Shastri introduced Rohit "from the blue corner" and Babar "from the green corner" - a terminology that is mainly to used to describe the competitors in a boxing match. The comment was met with a huge cheer from the Ahmedabad crowd and even the two captains could not stop themselves from smiling.

Watch: Arijit Singh's Passionate Reaction After Babar Azam's Dismissal Is Viral During Cricket World Cup 2023

Team India had a dreamy start to their Cricket World Cup 2023 match against Pakistan as they bundled out the visitors for 191. Asked to bat first, Pakistan started off the proceedings on a good note with Abdullah Shafique and Imam-Ul-Haq stitching a good partnership. However, Mohammed Siraj provided the hosts with their first breakthrough in the form of Shafique. Later, the entire bowling unit contributed as Pakistan's innings came to an end in just 42.5 overs. Only skipper Babar Azam played a decent knock of 50 runs and provided Pakistan with some hope. But, Siraj struck in the 30th over and clean bowled Babar.

Cricket World Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma Becomes First Indian Batter In ODI History To Achieve Mammoth Feat

Indian cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma added another major milestone to his already illustrious career as he became the first India batter ever to slam 300 sixes in ODI cricket. Rohit looked in tremendous touch during the Cricket World Cup 2023 match against Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday and he was able to reach the milestone with his fourth six of the innings. Overall, he joined West Indies legend Chris Gayle and former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi as the batters with more than 300 ODI sixes. For India, MS Dhoni is second with 229 sixes.

Cricket World Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan: Players To Watch Out For

India and Pakistan will both put their winning run to test when the traditional rivals face each other in the Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Both the sides have won their first two matches in the competition and the winner of this match will find their place cemented as one of the firm favourites to win the title. The Indian cricket team has a huge advantage historically over Pakistan as they have never lost against them in ODI Cricket World Cup history.