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R Ashwin furiously takes down Pakistan reporter for baselessly claiming Afghanistan can't beat India for 'IPL contracts'
Ravichandran Ashwin didn't mince his words as he reacted to a bizarre claim from a Pakistan journalist on X.
Team India's star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin addressed Elon Musk, the owner of social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), with a special request after a Pakistani journalist made an allegation against the Afghanistan cricket team. The controversial post came following Afghanistan's significant 21-run victory over Australia in the Super Eight stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup, which kept Afghanistan's hopes alive and put Australia on the brink of elimination.
The Pakistan journalist Wajahat Kazmi bizarrely claimed that Afghanistan could defeat any team in the world except India, suggesting that Afghan players avoid beating India due to lucrative Indian Premier League contracts. This unfounded accusation infuriated Ashwin, prompting him to appeal to Elon Musk to ensure such misleading posts are not allowed to appear on his X timeline.
“I can’t tell u what to do @elonmusk but I should certainly have the right to decide who enters my house. My timeline my decision,” Ashwin wrote.
Afghanistan secured a historic first international win over Australia in their sixth white-ball encounter, triumphing by 21 runs in Kingstown. Batting first, Afghanistan posted a competitive 148/6, with important contributions from openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (60 off 49) and Ibrahim Zadran (51 off 48), who put together a solid 118-run partnership off 95 balls.
In response, Australia’s chase faltered early. Naveen ul Haq (3/20) struck key blows, removing Travis Head (0 off 3) and Mitchell Marsh (12 off 9). Mohammad Nabi then took the crucial wicket of David Warner (3 off 8), leaving Australia reeling at 32/3.
Glenn Maxwell did attempt to repeat his heroics from the ODI World Cup clash against the same side when his unbeaten double century pulled Australia back from the brink of defeat; he scored a valiant 59 off 41 balls, but his dismissal in the 15th over by Gulbadin Naib (4/20) sealed Australia’s fate.
The Australians were ultimately bowled out for 127 in 19.2 overs, handing Afghanistan a memorable win.
Do-or-die match against India
This victory placed Afghanistan in a strong position in the T20 World Cup, while putting Australia’s campaign in jeopardy, making their final match against India a do-or-die encounter. Team India is currently unbeaten in the tournament so far, having registered convincing wins over Afghanistan and Bangladesh in their two Super Eight matches.
