Former India head coach Ravi Shastri brought whole new energy to Dubai International Cricket Stadium when he introduced India and Pakistan’s captains at the toss during the Super 4 contest on Sunday. Shastri, who is part of the commentary panel, was on the mic at the toss as both Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam also smiled after listening to the charged-up voice of the legendary Indian cricketer.
However, Shastri made a massive blunder at the toss as Babar called it ‘tails’ after Rohit flicked the coin, but the former India cricketer heard ‘heads’ which he announced on the mic. Match Referee Andy Pycroft intervened and informed Shastri about the pick made by the Pakistan skipper who eventually won the toss.
ASIA CUP 2022: FULL COVERAGE | SCHEDULE | RESULTS
The video of the incident went viral on social media.
#IndiaVsPak #RaviShastri #Toss called wrong by Shastri. A bit high already? pic.twitter.com/pIIxYwxLCM
— Srihari (@haagesummane_) September 4, 2022
Meanwhile, Babar elected to bowl first in the crucial Super 4 contest where his team will look for redemption after losing the group stage match to India at the same venue. Pakistan made one forced change as Shahnawaz Dahani who is ruled out of the tournament made way for Mohammad Hasnain.
While India made some radical changes as Hardik Pandya returned to the XI, while Deepak Hooda and Ravi Bishnoi got the chance for the first time in this tournament. Rishabh Pant also managed to retain his place. Dinesh Karthik, Ravichandran Ashwin, Avesh Khan and Axar Patel missed out for the mega clash.
Live Score India vs Pakistan Asia Cup Super 4
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma said that he would’ve also liked to bowl first on the surface as dew is expected to affect the match in second innings.
“We would have bowled first, but now we need to play freely and assess a good score on this pitch. Momentum counts in this format, you’ve to be on the money from the start, not worry about external pressures. Injury is something we can’t control, Jadeja has been ruled out and he’s back home. It was a headache to select the playing XI – Hardik comes back. Deepak Hooda gets a game and so does Ravi Bishnoi,” Rohit said at the toss.
India (Playing XI): KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(w), Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh
Pakistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah
Get the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here