Rohit Sharma's team delivered a near-flawless performance in the highly-anticipated World Cup 2023 match, securing a convincing seven-wicket victory overt Babar Azam-led Pakistan, in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Social media was abuzz with indirect jibes at the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), expressing disappointment over the absence of Pakistan fans in the stadium. Even former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar joined in, quipping, 'Wah re yeh khamosh chokkay!!' in Hindi, which roughly translates to 'amazed by these silent boundaries'.
Shoaib's post came during a phase when Pakistan seemed in a decent position, with Azam and Mohammad Rizwan holding the fort. Despite the loss of early wickets, the duo added 82 runs for the third wicket, after which the collapse began.
Virender Sehwag, one of Shoaib Akhtar's long-standing rivals from their playing days, promptly responded to the former's post.
Shortly after Pakistan's innings concluded, Sehwag posted on social media, saying, 'Shayad khamoshi ke chauke dekhkar Pakistani batsman ne jaldi jaldi pavillion lautne ki thaan li. Jhel nahi paaye yaar pressure…Haha..Koi nahi Shoaib Bhai. Na Ishq Na Pyaar mein..Jo Maza 8-0 ki haar mein!' in Hindi, which translates to, 'Perhaps the Pakistani batsmen decided to return quickly to the pavilion after seeing silent boundaries. They couldn't handle the pressure, no worries, Shoaib brother,' poking fun at Pakistan's history of losses to India in World Cups.
Shoaib had earlier posted a cheeky message on social media as part of a promotional campaign for the World Cup 2023 match. He shared a throwback photo of dismissing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and sent a message to the Pakistan team, implying they should keep their cool. He posted a video of that dismissal with the caption, 'Kal agar asa kuch kerna hai, toh #ThandRakh,' which means 'If you want to do something like this tomorrow, keep cool.'
After the match, Tendulkar joined the banter on social media. In response to Akhtar's previous post, Tendulkar replied, 'My friend, aap ka advice follow kiya aur sab kuch bilkul THANDA rakha.'
