IND vs PAK: Manjrekar reveals why he refrained from asking about Arshdeep's dropped catch to Rohit

Arshdeep Singh was mercilessly trolled online after he dropped a simple catch in the end overs of the high-voltage India-Pakistan Super Four clash at the Asia Cup 2022 edition, in the UAE. After spinner Ravi Bishnoi came onto bowl the 18th over of Pakistan's 182-run chase, with big hitters Asif Ali-Khusdil Shah in the middle, and the Men in Green needing 34 off 18 balls. While Bishnoi induced a mistimed stroke from Asif's blade, Arshdeep dropped a sitter inside the inner circle to give him a reprieve before the batter's 8-ball 16 propelled Babar Azam & Co. to a stunning five-wicket win following blitz from Md Rizwan (71) and Md Nawaz's 20-ball 42.

Thus, Arshdeep was trolled on social media platforms as the 23-year-old speedster faced immense heat with India going down to arch-rivals Pakistan in their Super Four opener, putting them in a must-win scenario going ahead. Recently, former Indian batter-turned-broadcaster Sanjay Manjrekar explained why he didn't ask about Arshdeep's blunder to captain Rohit Sharma during the post-match presentation ceremony at the iconic Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.

"Arshdeep would have taken that catch normally, almost with one eye closed, 99 times out of 100. Maybe a thought that this is India vs Pakistan. This is a crucial catch and Asif Ali got him to drop that. It's one of those things that happens. And that's why I didn't ask Rohit Sharma whether that catch was the turning point. Because it shouldn't be just one drop catch at a certain stage of the game. Pinning the blame on Arshdeep Singh, a young cricketer would not have been fair. You don't lose cricket matches because of one moment. There are many contributing factors with which you lose a game, because all of those factors come by," Manjrekar told Sports 18.

In an exclusive interview withTimes Now, senior Indian pacer Mohammed Shami also didn't mince his words and slammed Arshdeep''s trolls. He said,"They only live to troll us, have no other job. When we perform well they don’t say you took a good catch but will troll us?" said Shami. "Agar dam hai toh real accounts se aaye na, fake account se toh koi bhi msg kar sakta hai (If you have the audacity, then comes from real accounts; anyone can message from fake accounts)."

Arshdeep will like to forget about his dropped catch in the Pakistan tie and move ahead to make a bigger contribution for India and take them into the finale. India will now face Sri Lanka on Tuesday evening (September 06) and then lock horns with Afghanistan in their remaining Super Four matches. Will they bounce back in style or face a shocking exit? Only time will tell...