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IND vs PAK: Pakistan fans brand Ashwin as 'cheat' after spinner makes minor error in fielding judgement
The backlash against Ashwin ignited after the spinner claimed a catch of Shan Masood in the 8th over of the Pakistan innings, who were invited to bat first by Rohit Sharma.
The high octane India vs Pakistan encounter at the ongoing T20 World Cup saw fans from across the border slam R Ashwin, also branding him a “cheat”. The backlash against Ashwin ignited after the spinner claimed a catch of Shan Masood in the 8th over of the Pakistan innings, who were invited to bat first by Rohit Sharma. (Follow: India vs Pakistan Live Score T20 World Cup 2022)
The incident took place in the third delivery of the over bowled by Shami as Masood tried to pull the short ball towards the fine leg region. He did manage to send the ball in the desired direction, which landed right in front of Ashwin and it looked like the spinner completed a brilliant diving catch.
The spinner too felt the same and claimed the catch and the umpires too soft signaled it to be out before referring it to the TV umpires. The replays confirmed that the ball had hit the turf before settling in Ashwin's hands as Pakistan got a lucky reprieve, especially after losing Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan inside the powerplay overs.
However, many compared Ashwin's appeal with Ahmed Shehzad, who had once claimed a catch despite the ball bouncing on the ground. The trolls were not limited to this as many also compared it with Ashwin's ‘mankad’ dismissal against Jos Buttler during the Indian Premier League. Here are a few reactions:
Coming back to the contest, the Indian bowlers have put on a splendid show but Pakistan still managed to post 159/8 in 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya have claimed three wickets each, while Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar scalped one each.
Among the Pakistan batters, Iftikar Ahmed and Shan Masood scored a half-century. Ahmed was trapped LBW by Shami on 51 off 34 balls, while Masood returned unbeaten on 52 off 42 deliveries.
