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Cricket PlayersWatch: 'Soch raha hu aapki tarah ek haath se chhakke lagau' - Afridi's wholesome interaction with Pant is winning hearts
Shaheen Afridi and Rishabh Pant met on Thursday ahead of the blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan, and their conversation is winning fans' hearts across both countries.
Team India will take on Pakistan in a blockbuster clash in the men's Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday. While some of the star players are set to take the field in the game, Pakistan's leading fast bowler Shaheen Afridi is forced to miss the tournament due to a knee injury. The left-arm pacer suffered a knee injury during the first Test against Sri Lanka last year, and even as he continued to travel with the Pakistan side throughout their games to stay in close contact with the team physio, Afridi eventually failed to recover in time.
The pacer remains with the Pakistan side in the Asia Cup, however, and on Thursday night, the official Twitter account of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared a heartwarming video of Afridi meeting India cricketers including Yuzvendra Chahal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul. All India stars could be heard asking Afridi about his injury status but the pacer's conversation with Pant has won the fans' hearts across both countries.
As Pant came to meet Afridi, the Pakistan pacer hilariously said, "Yaar main soch raha hu aapki tarah bas batting shuru kar du, ek haath se chhakke lagaau (I'm thinking of becoming a batter like you, start hitting sixes with a single hand).
Pant, then, hilariousy replied, 'fast bowler ho toh effort lagaana padega sir! Compulsory hai (If you're a fast bowler, you have to put in efforts. It's compulsory). The Indian wicketkeeper then asked Afridi on how long would it take for him to recover, to which the Pakistan pacer replied, "5 weeks."
Watch (from 1:10):
Earlier, Virat Kohli had also met Pakistan captain Babar Azam as well as the side's batting coach and cricketing great Mohammad Yousuf ahead of India's first training session in the UAE. The camaraderie between India and Pakistan players remains strong, as Babar had also tweeted in support of Kohli, who is going through a rough patch with the bat over the past few months.
The game between India and Pakistan will be the first in men's cricket since their clash in the T20 World Cup last year, where Babar's side had cruised to a 10-wicket win.
