The Pakistan cricket team on Sunday successfully broke the trend of losing World Cup matches to India every time by defeating India in the match at Dubai International Stadium under the captaincy of Babar Azam. Previously, India and Pakistan faced each other seven times in the ODI World Cup and five times in the T20 World Cup, with India winning each time. But this time, something goes wrong with India’s luck as well performance as Pakistan finally won a match against India in the T20 World Cup on 24th October 2021 in a magnificent way.
In this T20 World Cup match against Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, India’s renowned opening combo of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul underperformed and failed to impress.
In his first over, Pakistani left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi knocked Indian opener, Rohit Sharma, for a golden duck, while Rahul was dispatched from the pitch by a stunning in-swinging delivery from the Pakistani left-arm pacer.
Despite skipper Virat Kohli leading another exemplary knock by hitting yet another T20 half-century (57 runs off 49 balls including 5 fours & 1 six) and was effectively backed by Rishabh Pant, who hit 39 runs off 30 balls including 2 fours & 2 sixes against Pakistan, the two early wickets put India on the back foot and as a result of this, the whole team failed to build a significant total on the board.
The Indian side reached 151/7 in their 20 overs, which is a respectable total, but Pakistani openers Mohammad Rizwan (79) and Babar Azam (68) on the other hand made this match an easier one for Pakistan They put up a 152-run partnership for the first wicket and chasing down the 152 run target with 13 balls to spare, earning a stunning 10-wicket stunning victory to kick-start their campaign in T20 World Cup.
Shaheen Afridi was named player of the match for his destructive bowling, as he take three crucial wickets for Pakistan (wickets of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli) and give only 31 runs in four overs to the Indian side.
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Controversy with KL Rahul’s dismissal
Losing the game against Pakistan is itself a controversy in India. Players and their performances were frequently ridiculed, and following the advent of social media, they were frequently mocked brutally online. After this match, the same thing happened with almost all Indian players. But there was also something else that occurred during the match that catches the viewer’s attention.
The photos of KL Rahul’s dismissal went popular on social media after the match, with supporters claiming that it should have been deemed a no-ball, but the TV umpire made a significant error.
The screenshots show Afridi’s front foot outside the popping crease with the ball still in his hands. Fans were certain that Rahul had been ruled out at an illegal delivery after seeing the photographs. Fans and spectators flocked to Twitter to criticise the International Cricket Council (ICC) for bad umpiring and for scheming against India.
Stupid umpiring in this crucial match is not accepted… Blind to see No Ball we lost Rahul 😡 #icc #ICCT20WorldCup #INDvPAK #KLRahul #ViratKohli #SanjayManjrekar. pic.twitter.com/pFASMXZtVM
— Shiv Sharma (@ShivShharma) October 24, 2021
No ball ?? pic.twitter.com/QpifVmGFsV
— harry 🚩 (@hariputtar2_0) October 24, 2021
No ball or a legal ball??#INDvPAK #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/rpOhXbwhbF
— Spartan (@iamsohail__1) October 24, 2021
Disappointing match from Indian team. But one no Ball was not given by umpire KL Rahul was not out.
— Hari babu Kamath (@haribabukamath) October 25, 2021
@coolfunnytshirt Rahul’s wicket was on a no ball….. @pratyush_pankaj pic.twitter.com/tb2Aitg7Yp
— Sanjeev Prakash (@sanjeevprakash) October 24, 2021
Is KL Rahul’s dismissal really a worth-controversy and was it really a no ball?
Replays clearly show that a portion of Afridi’s front foot was really behind the line at the moment of the ball’s landing on the crease, which is all that matters under the rules, and the third umpire was correct in not ruling it a no-ball.
In terms of the screenshots, it is natural for a fast bowler’s front foot to skid off after landing, and Afridi’s front foot did just that. The screenshots that are circulating on the internet are blatantly deceptive and inaccurate according to the timing and case of delivery since they do not include the first point of touch when they pass their judgement.
Everyone in India who loves cricket is saddened by the loss against our arch-rival Pakistan, but rather than looking for an excuse or blaming others, we need to recognise that the opponent played better cricket than us and deserved to win the game.
Blaming the umpires and match referee makes us appear to be bitter losers. We must not lose trust in our players because we know how talented they are and that they will improve their performance quickly in the following matches.
This was undoubtedly one of India’s most humiliating defeats, but that does not mean that we would unfairly judge someone based on deceptive assumptions. We must keep trust in our players for them to bounce back in the next matches and bring the trophy home.
We must remember what Kohli stated after the match: Losing to Pakistan is not the end, it was just the opening match, and there is a whole tournament left in front of us to play.
Beautiful moments of the game today. #IndiaVsPak pic.twitter.com/oRwqF6NRuz
— Fahad Shah (@pzfahad) October 24, 2021