The much-anticipated T20 World Cup 2024 match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is set to take place on Sunday at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium in New York. With massive fan bases for both teams, the stadium is expected to be packed for this high-stakes encounter. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team, fresh off an eight-wicket victory over Ireland, aims to deliver a strong performance against Pakistan. Conversely, Babar Azam’s squad seeks redemption after a disappointing loss to co-hosts USA.
Ahead of this exciting clash, Pakistan’s star pacer Shaheen Afridi had a playful interaction with some Indian fans in New York. In a viral video on social media, the 24-year-old pacer was teased by fans, with one requesting him to consider Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as his friends. “Rohit aur Virat ko apne acche dost samjho. (Consider Rohit and Virat as your good friends),” a fan said. Another fan humorously asked Shaheen, “Please kal acchi bowling mat karna. (Please don’t bowl well tomorrow),” which left everyone laughing.
Shaheen had a significant impact against India in the 2021 T20 World Cup, taking the key wickets of Rohit, Virat, and KL Rahul, leading to India’s 10-wicket loss, Pakistan’s sole T20 World Cup victory over India. He now aims to replicate his performance as Pakistan looks to secure their first win in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Discussing the upcoming match, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma emphasized the importance of team effort: “I don’t want to rely on one or two individuals to win us the game. I think all 11 of us need to contribute. Of course, some key players are going to play key roles for us, but I think everyone needs to chip in whatever they can, however they can, in their best possible way.”
