In a surprising twist in the Asia Cup 2023, India failed to secure a win against Bangladesh during the Super Four match held in Colombo. Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar described the event as a much-needed "wake-up call" for India, asserting that they must up their game to clinch the Asia Cup for an unprecedented eighth time.
"Ye khala ji ka ghar nahi hai jaha pe India jake araam se jeet lega (It’s not their aunty’s house that India will win it easily). Nothing of that sort is going to happen. It's going to be a tough game,” Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.
“We were not expecting that India would lose to a team like Bangladesh but they did. It was an embarrassing defeat. Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka. They are out of the Asia Cup, which is an even bigger embarrassment. India are still in the final. All is not lost for them. It was a great wakeup call for them to come back harder and make sure they secure victory in the finals but that will only happen if they play really well,” the Rawalpindi Express added.
India comfortably booked their place in the tournament final even before playing the Bangladesh match. However, the unexpected loss against Bangladesh rang alarm bells.
Many pointed out that prominent players like Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj did not play the match. However, India did have players like Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja.
Shubman Gill scored a hundred and had a steady partnership with KL Rahul. Nevertheless, the tide quickly turned in Bangladesh's favour. Gill's century wasn't enough to save the match as the team fell short by six runs, with Axar Patel also falling prey to multiple injuries during his innings.
Catch all theBusiness News, Sports News,Breaking NewsEvents andLatest News Updates on Live Mint. Download TheMint News App to get Daily Market Updates