T20 World Cup:
Strategy to deal with Shaheen Afridi is to play in 'V', says Sachin Tendulkar.
First I will start with the topic I remember who is Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Shaheen Shah Afridi is a Pakistani professional cricketer who plays as a fast bowler for the Pakistan national cricket team.
[1] He made his international debut for Pakistan in April 2018 and his Test match debut for the national team in December 2018.
[2] In 2017, Afridi was known as a 17-year-old Pakistani fast-bowling talent who can bowl at 90 mph,
[3][4] as well as his ability to hit big shots.
[5] Considered an all-rounder, he strives to excel in bowling, batting, and fielding.
[6] In August 2018, he was one of the thirty-three players awarded a central contract by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the 2018–19 season.
[7][8] The following year, Afridi was awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (Cricketer of the Year).
MELBOURNE:
Shaheen Shah Afridi is one of the world's leading white-ball bowlers and Indian batsmen must try to play him "sharply" even as they draw in Pakistan's talented left-arm pacer, legend Sachin Tendulkar has said.
Batsman great Sachin Tendulkar offered valuable advice ahead of the upcoming T20 world pace sensation Shaheen Shah Afridi span> Cup Shaheen has emerged as one of the best bowlers with his swing skills in the last two years. He also consistently bowls above 140 kmph, which has worried many batsmen, however, the premiership pacer has been out of action ahead of the T20 World Cup with a knee injury. He will be under the scanner in Australia as the tournament marks his return to competitive cricket after months.
In his prime, Tendulkar played a lot of limited-overs cricket against Wasim Akram, perhaps the greatest left-arm fast bowler of all time, and the maestro shared his insights with PTI during a chat.
When asked what he would do if he faced a bowler of Shaheen's caliber during his playing days, Tendulkar laughed and said, "I didn't think about it like that because I know I won't face him".
Tendulkar advised the players to play Shaheen in a 'V' as the Pakistani pacer can beat the batsmen both in the air and off the pitch.
"Shaheen is an attacking bowler and likes to take wickets. He throws the ball up and back to swing the ball and with his forward pace, he can hit rockets in the air and off the pitch. So the strategy with him should be to play straight and 'V'." said Tendulkar. In the 2021 T20 World Cup, Shaheen troubled a lot of right-handed batsmen, including current Indian captain Rohit Sharama with his quick pace deliveries. A technician par excellence, Tendulkar also cautioned that even if a batsman takes a trigger move (an initial reflex move), he should not be similar to committing to play a shot. "The trigger movement is the preparation to play the ball and not the commitment, if you are not committing to play the ball, it can be either the front foot or the back foot, but it is the trigger movement and no commitment", he said.
"Because once you get off the back foot, you can't get off the front foot, and vice versa".
The trigger movement is all about preparation.
"Every ball is some kind of movement, as long as it's not a commitment, it's fine", concluded Tendulkar.
India will begin their campaign against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23. Earlier this year, India faced Pakistan twice in the Asia Cup 2022, Rohit Sharma and Co. they won the first tie but suffered a defeat in the Super 12 stage.
CLICK HERE for more interesting articles.
You must be logged in to post a comment.