Former speedster Shoaib Akhtar tore into Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha’s decision to bat first against India in Asia Cup 2025 Group A fixture in Dubai on Sunday (September 14).
The decision backfired as Pakistan’s innings was restricted to a paltry 127/9 in 20 overs. Barring Sahibzada Farhan (40) and Shaheen Afridi (33), no other batter managed to cross the 30-run mark.
Wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav (3-18 in 4 overs) and spin all-rounder Axar Patel (2-18 in 4 overs) led the charge, tightening the screws with stunning spells. Jasprit Bumrah (2-28 in 4 overs), Varun Chakaravarthy (1-24 in 4 overs) and Hardik Pandya (1-34 in 3 overs) shared the remaining five scalps among them.
In reply, the defending champions made light work of the chase, reaching the target in just 15.5 overs. While Abhishek Sharma stole the show with 13-ball 31 at the top, skipper Suryakumar Yadav finished the job with 37-ball 47*.
Salman Agha's call to bat first left Akhtar fuming as he sarcastically called the Pakistan captain ‘Einstein’.
"Good luck to them. Suryakumar Yadav ne poori pitch report di hai toss par. Usne kahan, 'Baad mein dew aayega. Ball bat par accha aata hai tab, humari batting lambi hai. Hum chase hi karna chahte the, hum phele bowling hi karna chahte the. Par humare Einstein ne kaha humay pehle batting karni hai.(Suryakumar Yadav gave an entire pitch report at the toss. He said, 'There will be dew later in the game. Ball comes better to the bat at that time and our batting lineup is deep. We anyways to wanted to bowl first'. But our Einstein said, 'We will bat first'.)" said Akhtar in a video shared by tapmad on Instagram.
Team India players and support staff members refused to engage in a customary handshake with their Pakistani counterparts during the game, which was held amidst heightened tensions between the two nations following the Pahalgam terror attack and the retaliatory Operation Sindoor.
Shoaib Akhtar said it was disheartening to see the Me in Blue not shaking hands. "I'm speechless. It is disheartening to see and I don't know what to say. Hats off to India. Just don't make things political. Cricket match hain isko political mat banao. Hum ne acchi statement di hai aapkee liye. Hum bohut kuchh bol sakte hai. Hoti rehte hain ladayi jhagre, ghar me bhi ho jaati hain. (Don't make a cricket match political. We have said nice things about you. We can say a lot of things about the no handshake. Fights happen, even inside your house. Forget it, move on. It is the game of cricket, shake your hands, show your grace.)"
