IND vs PAK: "Suddenly Dubai Pitch Saved, Grass Gone" Former Pakistani Pacer Shoaib Akhtar Creates Controversy

Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan’s former bowler who is often in the spotlight whenever Pakistan plays India, tweeted his opinion on the pitch. He has expressed his dissatisfaction with the pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium for Sunday’s match between India and Pakistan.

When both teams competed at this venue for the first match, initially, there was some swing and assistance for the pacers. The former pacer expected grass on the pitch, which would favour the pacers, but the iconic Dubai International Stadium looked a little different, especially when it came to the surface and wrote, “Wow. Suddenly Dubai strip is shaved. Grass gone. Hmmm achaaa.”

Earlier the official match presenter Sanjay Manjrekar and Wasim Akram gave their views on the pitch and said, “: I am looking at a pitch you can trust. It’s not two-faced like the one we had in Sharjah. The grass is similar on both sides. The groundsmen have put in a little more work and as a result you can see grass coming out of this surface. The grass is slightly drier than than when Afghanistan played Sri Lanka. There’ll be a lot more carry on this pitch. Any team winning the toss will bowl. Whatever moisture is there, you can get first use of it. We haven’t seen any dew as yet. The spinners might get a bit of purchase.”

Wow. Suddenly dubai strip is shaved. Grass gone. Hmmm achaaa.

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) September 4, 2022

Indian Openers Gave Flying Start

Indian openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul got the Men in Blue off to a flying start after Pakistan chose to field first. In just five overs, they added 54 runs for the first wicket. 

India captain Rohit finally got out to Haris Rauf after smashing 28 runs off 16 balls. India had already scored more than 60 runs by the time KL Rahul was out to Shadab Khan. Both openers’ quick-fire innings handed India a major boost early in the innings. Later contributions from Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, and Deepak Hooda, together with Virat Kohli’s anchor innings of 60 runs, ensured that India reached a total of 181.

Pakistan Spinners Bowled Well In The Middle Overs

The Pakistani spinners did stop the runs with a few wickets in the middle overs, but India still put up a large total. All three Pakistani speed bowlers let up more than nine runs each over. Only the spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan were able to contain the Indian batsmen’s blitzkrieg to some level.

Also Read: IND vs PAK: “Deepak Hooda Could Have Been Used Against A Left-hander Nawaz” – Rajkumar Sharma