Irfan Pathan's ‘garba chalu’ dig at ‘modern-day batters’ during India vs New Zealand 2nd ODI sparks Twitter debate
Pathan's tweet, in which he took a dig at the "modern-day batters" by indicating that they start dancing at the crease the moment the ball swings a bit, attracted mixed reactions on the popular social media site.
New Zealand lost half their side for 15 in the second ODI against India in Raipur. This is the lowest score for any side losing five wickets against India in an ODI. It was also the lowest score for New Zealand to lose their first five wickets in ODIs. It all happened on a track that had no extravagant movement or turn. India's four seamers Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya had a field day, troubling the New Zealand top-order with their immaculate line and length.
That the two new balls will offer something to the pacers early on, is a no-brainer but what worked in India's favour was that they kept getting wickets at regular intervals. The two caught and bowled chances - one by Shami and the other by Pandya - were also grabbed. There was absolutely no let-up in the powerplay.
However, New Zealand would be disappointed with the way they approached the innings. There were far too many dot balls for comfort. At the end of the powerplay they were 15 for 4, scoring at 1.5 runs per over.
Reacting to New Zealand top-order's performance, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, came up with a savage tweet. "Modern day batsman ke samne thoda ball hila aur garba chalu," wrote Pathan referring to a famous dance form from the Gujarat region of India.
Pathan's tweet, in which he took a dig at the "modern-day batters" by indicating that they start dancing at the crease the moment the ball swings a bit, attracted mixed reactions on the popular social media site.
Here is how Twitter reacted to Irfan Pathan's ‘garba chalu’ dig
While many took Pathan's tweet in the right spirit and saw the funny side, there were few who did not like the way the former left-arm pacer tried to belittle the current cricketers.
India chased down the 109-run target in the 21st over with 8 wickets in hand with openers Rohit Sharma (51) and Shubman Gill (40*) leading the charge.
"Batting up-top wasn't our best performance. India put the ball in the right areas and it was one of those days where everything we tried didn't work. On the other hand, everything India did worked. There was some tennis-ball bounce, some came through, some kept low and there was some movement. We just couldn't build partnerships at the top. Guys lower down tried to fight but it wasn't easy. We didn't adapt well today, considering the surface," said New Zealand captain Tom Latham after the match.