World Cup 2019: Shahid Afridi congratulates Team India for the victory against Pakistan, credits THIS for the Men in Blue's ‘exceptionally high’ standard of cricket

Despite the hostilities on the political field, there was no bad blood on the cricket field as India and Pakistan put up a sporting fight against each other in the World Cup match at Old Trafford, Manchester on Sunday. Even after the game, there was a positive exchange as Shahid Afridi praised Team India for their convincing victory. The former all-rounder credited the Indian Premier League for helping identify talent and equipping the youngsters with pressure handling techniques. 

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After rain had interrupted the clash post 35 overs of Pakistan batting, but India was already set for a victory since their opponents were tottering at 166/6 then, Afridi tweeted, “Congratulations to @BCCI on a well deserved win today. The standard of cricket being played has been exceptionally high & credit goes to IPL for not only helping identify & harness talent, but also in equipping younger players with pressure handling techniques #CWC19 #PAKVIND .” 

Afridi was one of the marquee players of the IPL when it was launched in 2008 and had played for the now-defunct Deccan Chargers franchise. 

As far as the match is concerned, Team India kept its unbeaten run over their arch-rivals Pakistan intact with an 89-run (DLS Method) victory at the Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday. By the virtue of this win, India now lead Pakistan by a 7-0 margin in World Cups.

After being put into bat by Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, Rohit and KL Rahul laid a solid platform for India with a 136-run opening stand. After Rahul was dismissed for a well-made 57, the Indian vice-captain then added 98 runs for the second-wicket stand with Virat Kohli. The Hitman scored a splendid 113-ball 140 at a strike rate of 123.89 which included 14 boundaries and three maximums. He won his second Man of the Match award for yet another spectacular century.

After Sharma was dismissed, Kohli anchored the Indian innings. He scored a splendid half-century and also became the fastest batsman to score 11,000 runs. He scored a 65-ball 77. Some good batting in the end by Vijay Shankar and Kedar Jadhav helped India get to 336/5 in their 50 overs.

In reply, Pakistan lost their opener Imam-ul-Haq early on, but Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam then stitched a 104-run stand for the second wicket as the duo registered half-centuries. They then suffered a batting collapse as the 1992 winners were reduced from 117/1 to 129/5. The rain interrupted the match for some time. Nonetheless, when play resumed, it was only a formality as Pakistan were given a revised target of 302 in their 40 overs and they finished at 212/6.

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