As India faces Pakistan in the Asia Cup Super Four match, Virat Kohli's childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, shares his thoughts on controversies consuming the headlines off the pitch. In the group stage, India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets convincingly.
India effortlessly chased down a target of 128 runs, thanks to Kuldeep Yadav’s brilliant bowling performance (3/18), which restricted Pakistan to a mere 127/9. However, during the toss and at the match's conclusion, the Indian team seemed to disregard the Pakistani team. It was noted that Suryakumar did not shake hands with the Pakistani players during the toss and post-match, captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube departed without the customary handshake.
According to Rajkumar Sharma, Pakistan is overstating this issue. Speaking to ANI and PTI, he said, "Instead of concentrating on cricket, the Pakistani team is dwelling on why the Indian players didn’t offer handshakes. This escalates the situation unnecessarily, detracting from the thrill of the Indo-Pak matches."
Sharma continued, "There used to be much more build-up for these encounters on both sides, but presently, there's no comparison between India and Pakistan; India is miles ahead. Even Bangladesh and Sri Lanka appear more formidable than Pakistan."
Discussing India's strategy in the match, Sharma mentioned, "If India bats first, Pakistan will be on the back foot since they aren’t renowned for chasing big scores. Abhishek brings his own style – he bats well and dominates from the outset. While all teams strategize, the key is execution, and Abhishek executes brilliantly, posing a significant challenge. Sharma predicted, "This match could very well be one-sided."
