Asia Cup 2023: Shaheen Shah Afridi staying rent free in our minds, says Aakash Chopra

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra picked Shaheen Shah Afridi as his Player of the Match after rain played killjoy in the Asia Cup clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan at Pallekele on Saturday. The lanky paceman continued his love affair of performing well against India, returning with impressive figures of 4-35 in his quota of 10 overs.

The 23-year-old accounted for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after the first rain break. Afridi was able to set up the Indian skipper as he got the ball to move back after getting a few deliveries to angle across the right-hander. Subsequently, Virat Kohli played on against Afridi, and India was soon reduced to 66-4 after Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer were dismissed cheaply.

Towards the end of the innings, Afridi bamboozled a well-settled Hardik Pandya, who scored 87, with a slower ball and then also had Ravindra Jadeja caught behind to wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan in the same over.

“We need to first talk about the Player of the Match even if it did not end up as a proper game. There are a lot of contenders. Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya played 80-odd run knocks, which took India to a position from where they could have fought. But my Player of the Match is Shaheen Shah Afridi,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

The renowned commentator continued to shower praise on Afridi for his ability to swing the ball both ways and bowling in the right areas to reap his rewards.

​​”He opens you up at the start. The guy has class and swings the ball at a good pace. At the moment, it seems like he is staying rent-free in our minds because when he starts his run-up, I don’t know what the batters think, but we feel that he will hit the pads or dismiss the batter,” Chopra concluded.

Afridi was right on the money and once again delivered for Pakistan but the match was called off due to rain. India will next face Nepal at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele on Monday.