In a surprising development in the 2023 Asia Cup, 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, stressing that they must improve their game to win 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 aunt’s house that India will win easily). Nothing like that will happen. It will be a tough match,” Akhtar said. On his YouTube channel.
“We were not expecting India to 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 call for them to come back even stronger and make sure they get the win in the finals, but that will only happen if they play really well,” Rawalpindi Express added.
India comfortably booked their place in the final of the tournament even before the Bangladesh match was played. However, the unexpected loss to Bangladesh was a wake-up call.
India’s loss to Bangladesh
Many pointed out that prominent players like Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj did not participate in the match. However, India had players like Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja.
Shubman Gill scored a hundred and had a steady partnership with KL Rahul. However, the tide soon turned in Bangladesh’s favour. Gill’s century was not 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.
Get all the sports news and updates on Live Mint. Download the Mint News app for daily market updates and live business news.
More less
Updated: Sep 17, 2023, 12:10 PM IST
