Abhishek Sharma was the star for India in their dominant win over Pakistan in the Super Four clash of the Asia Cup in Dubai. He smashed 74 runs off 39 balls with six fours and five sixes and also made his disappointment clear as Pakistan were coming at him for no reason.
Abhishek Sharma won the player of the match for his exceptional knock of 74 runs off 39 balls in the game against Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup Super Four clash. His knock helped India chase down 172 runs comfortably in the 19th over of the innings. However, things heated up in the middle of the chase, and Abhishek became involved in a heated scuffle with Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi. After the match, the southpaw made it clear that the Pakistan players were coming at him for no reason, and he responded to them with the bat.
For the unversed, Abhishek gave it back to Shaheen Afridi on the first ball of the innings by smashing a six and then his temper flared when Rauf was having a go at him unnecessarily. The aggression only worked wonders for team India as he played a match-winning knock for the men in blue.
“Today was pretty simple. The way they were coming out to us without any reason, I did not like it at all. That’s why I went after them. I wanted to deliver for the team. We (Abhishek and Gill) have been playing since school days, we enjoy each other’s company, we thought we would do it, and today was the day. The way he was giving it back, I really enjoyed it. If you see someone playing like this, it’s because the team supports me and they back me. That’s the intent I show, and I’m practicing really hard. If it’s my day, I’m going to win it for my team,” Abhishek said in the post-match presentation.
India were exceptional in the chase of 172 runs
Chasing 172 runs, India got off to a flier, smashing 69 runs in the first six overs as the openers Abhishek and Shubman smashed more than 100 runs in less than 10 overs. The start mattered the most eventually, as batting got a little tougher in the second half. India lost four wickets, but the brilliant start at the top meant they were always in control of the chase.
However, Pakistan managed to score of 171 runs in their 20 overs was due to India’s four dropped catches in the field. Sahibzada Farhan was dropped on 0 by Abhishek Sharma and he ended up scoring 58 runs, while Kuldeep Yadav and Shubman Gill also dropped a catch each. But even their worst day in the field couldn’t stop team India from winning the match comfortably.
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