India were eyeing their third consecutive victory in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday until Arshdeep Singh dropped a simple catch. The pressure is always high in games against Pakistan and the 23-year-old succumbed to it. It was the 18th over when Asif Ali got a thick top-edge on the slog-sweep that went up in the air. Arshdeep settled himself calmly at the short-third man, but the ball just popped out of his hands.
The missed opportunity turned the game upside down. Pakistan mustered 19 runs in the penultimate over and then crossed the finish line with a ball to spare.
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Fans on social media went berserk on Arshdeep and even crossed the limit by abusing the youngster. But the left-arm pacer, whose international career has just taken off, found support from his seniors. Former India captain Virat Kohli, who top-scored for India with a 44-ball 60, said anyone can commit mistakes under pressure.
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“Anyone can commit mistakes under pressure. It was a big game, and the situation was a bit tight,” Kohli said at the post-match presser.
“I remember when I was playing my first Champions Trophy game against Pakistan, and I played a very poor shot off Shahid Afridi’s bowling. I kept looking at the ceiling till 5 in the morning. I was up all night and couldn’t sleep. I thought it would be the end of my career and never get another chance,” he added.
Kohli further emphasised the fact that one should learn from the mistakes made and be prepared for such situations in the future.
“That’s a natural feeling. But there are senior players around you. We’ll come together again for the next game. So, it’s all about learning in a good environment and when a similar situation arrives again, you look forward to it and be ready.
“I will give credit to the captain and the coach for making such an environment in which the players feel that everything is fine, and we’ll go for it next time. So, there will be mistakes but you need to accept them and learn from them so that you can be prepared to face such situations again,” Kohli said further.
India will face table toppers Sri Lanka in their next Super 4 game, scheduled to be held in Dubai on Tuesday.
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