Shaheen Afridi Reacts To SKY’s IND-PAK Rivalry Comment: ‘Kya Hai, Kya Nahi… Dekh Lenge’ | Cricket News

Pakistan’s pace leader Shaheen Shah Afridi avoided directly responding to Suryakumar Yadav’s opinion that India-Pakistan games should no longer be considered a rivalry due to India’s dominance. Instead, Afridi emphasised his team’s focus on winning the Asia Cup.

During the pre-match press conference before their crucial Super 4 game against Bangladesh on Thursday, Afridi evaded questions regarding Suryakumar’s comments.

“That’s his view, let him say. When we meet (in the likely Asia Cup final on Sunday), we will see kya hai, kya nahi. Tab dekh lenge. We are here to win the Asia Cup and we will give our best effort for that,” Afridi said.

Suryakumar had remarked that for a rivalry to be genuine, the disparity in results cannot be as wide as 12-3, which is the current India-Pakistan T20I head-to-head record.

India has convincingly won both encounters between the two teams in the ongoing tournament. However, tensions remain high after the Indian team refused to partake in traditional handshakes before and after the games to show solidarity with victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, which involved Pakistan-backed terrorists.

The matches have seen Pakistani players displaying aggressive gestures towards fans and rival players. Afridi was questioned if the aggression, particularly from Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan, was premeditated.

Rauf seemingly mocked Indian fans, and Farhan’s provocative gun-firing celebration during their Super 4 game on Sunday stirred controversy.

“There is no specific plan to be aggressive, we have always been aggressive, from the time we started playing. This is how cricket is played and the team morale is kept high,” Afridi explained.

“We are not in the final yet, when we reach, we will think about it.” When quizzed about “what’s been going on” between the two teams, Afridi first responded with a cheeky, “Kya chal raha hai?” On being specifically asked about Rauf and Farhan, Afridi once again steered clear of the issue.

“Our job is to play cricket, people can think what they want. We are here to win Asia Cup. We are trying our best to fulfil Pakistan’s hopes,” he said.

Pakistan Stay Alive With Win Over Sri Lanka

On cricketing matters, Afridi commented on Pakistan’s struggle to chase 133 against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi, saying the format’s nature makes it difficult for all players to perform simultaneously.

“Credit to Hussain (Talat) and (Mohammad) Nawaz for handling pressure. T20 is like this only, everyone doesn’t perform at the same time,” he shrugged.

Discussing his form and the fast bowlers’ performance, Afridi stated, “”My job is to fulfil the role assigned to me whether it is batting or bowling. Doesn’t matter if I am injured or unwell. My job is to keep team morale high and perform well.” “It’s not that we are not winning, we have won but we haven’t won against bigger teams. I don’t think our fast bowlers are struggling. T20 format is such that batsmen find it easier to hit on good wickets.

“But we should have more variation in our bowling and we are striving for that.”

Regarding the match against Bangladesh, Afridi said the plan is to be aggressive from the start.

“Bangladesh is a good team and has played good cricket of late. We have to punch first against them, we have to play good cricket,” he said.

(With inputs from PTI)