IND vs PAK: Shaheen Afridi castles Rohit Sharma with a searing yorker in Dubai; watch video

Skipper Rohit Sharma was dismissed by a left-arm pacer yet again during India’s Champions Trophy Group A match against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday. The ‘Hitman’ was off to a rollicking start against the hosts and defending champions at the ‘Ring of Fire’ after India were set 242 to win when he was castled by a searing yorker from Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Rohit had got India off to an excellent start against Bangladesh on Wednesday with a knock of 41 off 36 balls, and was hoping to go past the half-century mark against India’s arch-rivals in Sunday’s blockbuster meeting. And he certainly looked like he could go there after racing to 20 off 14 balls with the help of three fours and a flamboyant hit over backward square leg for a six.

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Afridi, however, highlighted why he is considered one of the best bowlers of the current generation as he breached Rohit’s defence with what was virtually an unplayable yorker, one that swung back in late to catch the star batter unawares. India, as a result, lost their first wicket with 31 on the board in the fifth over, bringing Pakistan back into the contest.

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Watch Afridi castle Rohit with a beauty:

It isn’t the first time Afridi has dismissed the India skipper – he had famously trapped him LBW with a fiery opening spell in the 2021 T20 World Cup match at the same venue, in which Pakistan had ended a 29-year jinx to defeat the Men in Blue in a World Cup match for the first time ever.

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Afridi had also dismissed Rohit in each of India and Pakistan’s last two meetings – in last year’s T20 World Cup match in New York as well as the 2023 ICC World Cup match in Ahmedabad. India, however, had ended up on the winning side on both occasions.

Rohit, similarly, has exhibited susceptibility to left-arm pace, especially those who are able to produce a hint of late inward movement along a fuller length early in the innings. Besides Afridi, New Zealand’s Trent Boult, Australia’s Mitchell Starc, Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir among others.