Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill came out all guns blazing against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 clash. The same batters struggled to stamp their authority when the two teams met earlier in the tournament on September 2, however, on Sunday, September 10, Rohit and Shubman dominated the Pakistan pace attack. Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf wreaked havoc in the Group A clash between India and Pakistan, so what changed in the Super 4 meeting?
Former India coach Anil Kumble highlighted that Rohit and Shubman’s attacking approach against Pakistan paved the way as they nullified the pacers early on. Kumble feels that the Indian duo were thinking too much, and they didn’t repeat the same mistake when the two sides locked horns for the second time in under 10 days.
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Gill in particular started really well as he smashed multiple boundaries against Shaheen, showing his attacking intent, which pleased Kumble.
“Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill took the attack to the Pakistan team. That’s something that was very positive. KL Rahul also played only 20-odd balls, but batted well,” the spin legend told ESPNcricinfo.
“These are definite positives. If there is a full game on Monday, India will hope that Virat Kohli and Rahul build a good partnership and then (Jasprit) Bumrah comes and works his magic,” Kumble added.
Rohit and Shubman were able to stitch together a 121-run stand before the Indian captain was dismissed on 56, while Gill was dismissed in the next over on 58.
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“In the previous match against Pakistan, the openers were thinking too much as to which ball is coming in and which is going out. This time, both openers looked to dominate and Gill started really well. He even stepped out to hit Shaheen Afridi,” Kumbled stated further.
The Indian openers’ display augurs well for the Men in Blue ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. Kumble said that the fact that the sub-continent conditions will assist the batters will be an ‘advantage’ for India.
“This (Rohit-Gill partnership) augurs well keeping the World Cup in mind as well. The wickets in India will be good for batting and it will be important to take advantage of the first 10 overs,” the veteran added.
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After the dismissal of Rohit and Shubman, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul were looking to rebuild for India and the score was at 147/2 before the heavens opened up and the play couldn’t be restarted on Sunday and thus the Super 4 clash will resume on Monday from where it was stopped.
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