'No one drops a catch purposely': Harbhajan, Hafeez defend Arshdeep Singh amid criticism after Pakistan defeat
Arshdeep Singh dropped a sitter against Pakistan in Asia Cup on Sunday.
Young India pacer Arshdeep Singh has been on the receiving end of intense criticism after he dropped a simple catch of Pakistan batter Asif Ali in the Super 4 clash between the arch-rivals in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday (September 04). India lost the game by five wickets as Pakistan successfully chased down the target of 182 runs in a last-over thriller in Dubai.
It was the second meeting between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022 after the two teams had met during the group stage. Asked to bat first, India got off to a flying start courtesy of a 54-run stand between openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma before Virat Kohli's 60-run-knock propelled the team's total to a strong 181 runs in 20 overs.
In reply, Pakistan got off to a shaky start as their captain Babar Azam departed cheaply on just 14 off 10 balls. However, opener Mohammad Rizwan single-handedly kept Pakistan in the game with a gritty knock of 71 runs. He combined with Mohammad Nawaz (42) to take Pakistan closer to victory before the duo lost their wickets in quick succession.
Sensing an opportunity to make a comeback in the game, India fought back in the final few overs and had a great opportunity to turn the tide in their favour when Asif Ali gave an easy catch to Arshdeep in the 18th over. However, the youngster put it down as Ali went on to score 16 off 8 balls to take Pakistan home.
Also Read:‘Only MS Dhoni texted me after leaving Test captaincy’,recalls Virat Kohli
The likes of former India cricketers Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan and ex-Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez defended Arshdeep as the young pacer faced massive backlash on social media for his mistake. All three cricketers praised Arshdeep and asked the fans to cut him some slack.
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Also Read:Mohammad Rizwan's brilliant knock helps Pakistan beat India by five wickets in Super 4 clash
Despite dropping the catch under pressure in a big game, Arshdeep showed great heart as he went on to to bowl a brilliant 20th over against Pakistan on Sunday. With 7 runs to defend, the left-arm pacer dragged the game to the penultimate ball before Pakistan clinched the thiller. He finished with figures of 1/27 in his 3.5 overs.
India are now under pressure in the Super Four after their loss against Pakistan as they wil have to win their remaining two matches against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka at all cost to qualify for the final.