Harbhajan Singh criticized Kamran Akmal for his derogatory comments about Indian cricketer Arshdeep Singh during a panel discussion on ARY News. Akmal’s remarks, which referred to Arshdeep’s religion and made insinuations about the match outcome, were met with strong condemnation from Harbhajan. In a post on X, Harbhajan expressed his outrage, emphasizing the need for Akmal to understand Sikh history and show gratitude for their past contributions.
Regarding the match between India and Pakistan, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first. Despite a challenging pitch, Indian batsmen struggled to build significant partnerships, with star openers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma failing to make substantial contributions. Rishabh Pant emerged as a standout performer, scoring 42 runs off 31 balls, but the lower middle order faltered under pressure, resulting in India posting a modest total of 119 runs in 19 overs. Pakistan’s bowlers, particularly Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, excelled, with each taking three wickets.
In their chase, Pakistan adopted a cautious approach, anchored by Mohammed Rizwan’s steady innings of 31 runs off 44 balls. However, India’s bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, struck crucial blows, restricting Pakistan’s progress. Despite a valiant effort by Naseem Shah in the final over, Arshdeep Singh ensured Pakistan fell short by six runs, securing victory for India. Bumrah’s outstanding bowling performance earned him the ‘Player of the Match’ award.