Abrar Ahmed's actions sparked criticism |Courtesy - PCB/Screengrab
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Shubman Gill departed for 46
- Gill's run of four consecutive 50+ scores came to an end
- Abrar's celebration went viral
Just when it looked like India were cruising towards the 242 target against Pakistan during the 2025 Champions Trophy clash on Sunday (February 23) at the Dubai International Stadium, Abrar Ahmed gave Pakistan hope with a magical delivery to dismiss Shubman Gill.
Gill's run of scoring 50+ scores in each of his last four innings came to an end as Abrar outfoxed him with an unplayable ball. The Indian vice-captain made a knock of 46 after scoring centuries in each of his last two innings, including the tournament against Bangladesh.
While Abrar's delivery will be remembered for a long time and be a contender for the ball of the 2025 Champions Trophy, his antics post the wicket sparked criticism from all corners. The Pakistan spinner appeared to give Gill a send-off, which did not impress cricket fans.
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Just a while before the Gill dismissal, Abrar's aggresive action towards Virat Kohli after he played a dot-ball also raised eyebrows. The Pakistan spinner threw the ball on the striker's end. However, the ex-Indian skipper played down the incident.
Talking about the match, Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first. After Babar Azam and Imam-Ul-Haq's early departures, Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel rebuild the innings with a turgid partnership of 104 runs in 144 balls. Rizwan made 46 runs in 77 balls while Shakeel made 62 runs after facing 76 deliveries. Khushil Shah played another impactful innings with a knock of 38 in 39 balls.
For India, Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets. Hardik Pandya took two important wickets. Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Harshit Rana got one wicket each.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma started the run-chase in his typical aggressive fashion but was dismissed after just 20 deliveries by Shaheen Afridi with a stunning yorker that castled his stumps.
Virat Kohli put up a 69-run partnership with Shubman Gill for the second wicket before being joined by Shreyas Iyer on the crease.
India is looking to put one foot in the semi-final while Pakistan will no longer have their destiny in their own hands if they lose the tournament.
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