Gambhir pointed out that Kohli's shot lacked commitment, neither moving forward nor backward, which he deemed a casual approach. Facing a formidable bowler like Shaheen Afridi, such casualness often proves costly, and Gambhir emphasized the need for greater focus in these high-pressure encounters.
“That was a nothing shot, neither forward, neither back. I think was a bit casual. That's what you get when you play someone like Shaheen Afridi. You don't know whether to go forward or back,” said Gambhir during commentary.
On the flip side, former Pakistan pacer Waqar Younis offered a different perspective on Kohli's dismissal. According to Younis, Kohli was somewhat unlucky, as the ball didn't come onto the bat as expected when he attempted his shot.
This inside edge and low bounce contributed to Kohli's downfall. Nonetheless, Younis acknowledged the skill of Shaheen Shah Afridi for adapting his length to exploit the situation.
“Kohli was a touch unlucky. Inside edge, the ball didn't come on to bat and maybe even kept a bit low. But credit to Shaheen Shah Afridi for altering his length,” Waqar said.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were expected to be pivotal for India in their high-stakes encounter against Pakistan. However, both of India's batting stalwarts fell victim to Pakistan's seasoned pacers. Rohit and Kohli have had their share of struggles against left-arm bowlers, a vulnerability that was ruthlessly exploited by Afridi after the rain break.
Despite the early dismissals of Rohit and Kohli, India managed to post a competitive total of 266 runs in their first innings. This commendable score was largely driven by the contributions of wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan and all-rounder Hardik Pandya, both of whom reached half-centuries.
On the other side, Pakistan's pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf displayed exceptional skills, picking up all 10 Indian wickets. This achievement marked a historic moment in Asia Cup history, as no other trio had managed to accomplish this feat before.
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