'Maine bas thoda masala...': Waqar Younis clears air on his viral 'Big relief for India' tweet on Shaheen's injury

In his tweet, Waqar Younis was more concerned with Shaheen's absence in the India game in their Asia Cup opener, which had fans coming up with savage replies for the former Pakistan captain.

Shaheen Shah Afridi has been ruled out of Asia Cup 2022 with a knee injury in what is set to be a massive blow to Pakistan's chances in the six-nation tournament. Afridi, who tamed the explosive India top order in last year's World T20, will miss the competition with Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) injury that he picked up during the Test series against Sri Lanka last month. The 22-year-old has been advised to take four to six weeks of rest.

Waqar Younis mercilessly trolled for 'Big relief for India' post

Afridi misses the entire competition but Pakistan legend Waqar Younis' recent tweet targeting the Indian team went viral in no time. Younis was more concerned with Shaheen's absence in the India game in their Asia Cup opener, which had fans coming up with savage replies for the former Pakistan captain.

"Shaheen's injury Big relief for the Indian top order batsmen. Sad we won't be seeing him in #AsiaCup2022 Get fit soon Champ @iShaheenAfridi," Younis tweeted last week. Afridi was the wrecker-in-chief when he blew the Indian top-order in the T20 World Cup with the wickets of captain Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav — all three part of India’s team in the Asia Cup.

The bowling great has cleared the air on his statement, explaining why left-arm bowlers like Shaheen hold the upper hand against openers. He said that he didn't intend to taunt Indian players with his tweet.

"Shaheen ki absence ek big relief toh hai saare openers ke liye. Indians ka maine bas thoda masala... but ye bhi mohabbat nai, aisa nahi hai ke koi dushmani hai. (Shaheen's absence is a big relief to all openers but I tweeted about Indians just to spice it up. It's just banter and I don't have any hatred towards anyone)" Younis told sports journalist Vimal Kumar in an interaction hosted by OneCricket.

"I can point out some technical issues as well. If you look at the history, Indian openers in World Cup or Champions Trophy struggle against left-arm pacers who bring the ball back into right-handers. A left-arm fast bowler who gets the ball to move in will trouble anyone, not just Indians. Any batter would not like the ball coming in towards the stumps. As a bowler, I always advise hitting the top of those three stumps. Shaheen's delivery comes in nicely from a good height... that is a big problem for the openers," he added.

If missing Afridi is a big setback for Pakistan, not having Jasprit Bumrah is no less a blow for India. The Indian will miss the Asia Cup with a back injury.

As the traditional rivalry between India and Pakistan renews after a 10-month gap, the spotlight will also be on Virat Kohli, who looks to end his lean patch with the willow. It’s been over 1,000 days since Kohli last scored a 100 in international cricket and he will be looking to make his 100th T20 international appearance on Sunday and end the debate on his future in the shorter version of the sport.

“My main aim is to help India win the Asia Cup and the World Cup and I am ready to do anything for the team to make it possible,” Kohli, who has played just four of India’s 24 T20s since the last T20 World Cup, said recently.