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'It's your wicket' - Shaheen Afridi thanks teammate for plotting 'special ball' that dismissed KL Rahul
Rohit Sharma was the first man to depart, going back for a golden duck, but it was the dismissal of KL Rahul, which fast bowler Shaheen Afridi felt was "honestly a special ball".
It was practically two deliveries that dismantled India's hopes on the evening of October 24 in Dubai, long before that unbeaten partnership of 152 between Mohammad Rizwan and captain Babar Azam, which guided Pakistan to a record 10-wicket win against Virat Kohli's men in their T20 World Cup opener. Rohit Sharma was the first man to depart, going back for a golden duck, but it was the dismissal of KL Rahul, which fast bowler Shaheen Afridi felt was "honestly a special ball".
Rahul looked to whip the good-length delivery across the line, but the ball straightened and then nipped back in sharply, sneaking through the gates to rattle the stumps. It was one to top the highlight reel of the tournament, let alone the game. But it was not all Shaheen alone.
Before the start of the second over, Shaheen consulted veteran cricketer Shoaib Malik, who advised him to bowl it length rather than the bowler's plan of going fuller.
“I asked Shoaib, can I bowl fuller? He said to me ‘Shaheen, don't bowl fuller, just try to bowl length here, yeah?’ So I said, yeah not too much swing first over, so let me try to bowl the ball," Shaheen said in his interview with Telegraph.co.uk.
“Shoaib is playing for 22 years for Pakistan. He's played a lot of cricket - he knows everything because every conditions, he played in. And he is playing for Pakistan so many years. He has experience and so that's why I asked him which ball shall I bowl to Rahul.”
After celebrating Rahul's dismissal for 3 off 8, Shaheen, as he recalled, walked back to Shoaib to thank him saying, "It's not my wicket, it's your wicket.”
Shaheen then revealed how he dismissed India's vice-captain just a few deliveries earlier with a yorker, which had a hint of inswing, beating Rohit all ends to strike plumb on his pads in line with the middle stump.
“We all know Rohit Sharma is such a dangerous player,” Shaheen said. “In my mind, I keep bowling yorkers and maybe he's troubled.
“When Rahul got the single and Rohit came on strike, my mind straight away said I can bowl this yorker. Maybe he misses. If there's a little bit of swing I can get him.” With a rapid delivery from over-the-wicket that curved back into Rohit, Shaheen only needed one ball."
Pakistan had eventually dismissed India for 151 for seven with Shaheen picking a third wicket, dismissing captain Virat Kohli in the 19th over.
Babar and Rizwan then guided Pakistan to their first ever win against India in 13 World Cup meetings with a record partnership.
