Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi reveals why Shaheen Afridi called him before the T20 World Cup clash between India and Pakistan.
Pakistan and India’s rivalry is one of the biggest fights in the world of sports. When a clash between Pakistan and India sets on the field, all the eyes are glued to the television.
Both the opponents had the last encounter in a T20 World Cup Super 12 stage fixture where Pakistan beat India in a one-sided game, registering a 10-wicket victory to start their campaign.
Pakistan left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi was the star show of the night as a couple of early blows put India down to their knees, which they never recovered.
Playing against India for the first time, Shaheen took three wickets off 31 runs in his four overs spell to give Pakistan their first victory against India in a World Cup game.
Meanwhile, the former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi tells the media that Shaheen had ‘video called’ him before the big match as he was feeling the pressure.
“Before the first game he played against India, Shaheen video-called me and told me that ‘I’m feeling a bit of pressure. We talked for about 11-12 minutes, and I told him that God has given you the opportunity to go out and perform; take those wickets and become a hero,”
Afridi said on Samaa.tv.
Afridi has also recalled the memory of his early days; Pakistan players couldn’t sleep before the match against India adding that the pressure between both the opponents has always been immense on both sides.
“If you ask me, we couldn’t sleep before the games (against India). Some players used to move to one corner while some used to wait for the games. Personally speaking, I used to wait for such games as people used to leave everything and watch India-Pakistan games,”
he added.
Pakistan reached the semi-finals after topping in Group B of the Super 12s stage but they ultimately lost the semi-finals to Australia who eventually became the title winners.
India on the other hand, failed to pass the Super 12s Stage and they made an early exit from the tournament.