Team India on Tuesday (September 12) secured a berth in the Asia Cup 2023 final by beating Sri Lanka in the Super-4 clash at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
Opting to bat first, the Rohit Sharma-led side managed to post 213/10 on the board in 49.1 overs as left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage ran through the Indian batting line-up with a five-wicket haul (5/40).
As the Indian batting crumbled on a turning track, many Pakistani fans messaged former pacer Shoaib Akhtar that India had fixed the game and were trying to lose deliberately to eliminate Pakistan from the competition.
However, Akhtar hit back at the fans for their bizarre claims while also lauding Sri Lanka’s fighting spirit.
"I don't know what you guys are doing. I am getting memes and messages saying 'India have fixed the game', that they are losing deliberately in order to eliminate Pakistan. Are you alright? They (Sri Lanka) are bowling their heart out. Wellalalge and Asalanka bowled their heart out. You saw that 20-year-old kid? He scored 43 runs and took 5 wickets. I am getting phonecalls from India and other countries, saying India were losing deliberately," Akhtar said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Defending the total, the Men in Blue bundled out the hosts for a paltry 172 in 41.3 overs. The Lankan batters found it tough to tackle the Indian fast bowlers as well as spinners.
While Jasprit Bumrah (2-30) and Mohammed Siraj (1-17) produced fantastic spells with the new ball, Hardik Pandya (1-14) bowled an economical spell in the middle overs and Kuldeep Yadav (4-43) and Ravindra Jadeja (2-33) ran through Sri Lanka’s middle and lower-order.
Fondly known as the Rawalpindi Express, Shoaib Akhtar asked the fans why would India want to lose the game since a victory would seal their place in the final.
"Why would they lose, tell me? They want to go through to the final. You end up making memes without any reason. It was a great fightback from India. The way Kuldeep played, it was massive. Look at Jasprit Bumrah, look at the fight while defending a small total," he remarked.
Akhtar also slammed Babar Azam's team for the 'lack of fight' they showed in the last game against India and questioned the fitness of pacers Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi.
Notably, Pakistan suffered a humiliating 228-run defeat at the hands of India and they are now facing a must-win situation against Sri Lanka to qualify for the Asia Cup final.
"Wellalage, a 20-year-old kid, is showing fight. He is batting and bowling, doing all he can. Our players (Pakistan) couldn't show this fight. Our fast bowlers don't play. When was the last they played 25-30 ODIs at a stretch? Then we expect Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah to deliver 10 overs and not get injured. I want the fight back from Pakistan. This was humiliating," he stated.
