India vs Pakistan: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli fail in intense match, lose to Shaheen Shah Afridi

India wins toss and chooses to bat against Pakistan in Asia Cup. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli dismissed early.

In the highly anticipated Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan, India won the toss and elected to bat. Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, showed early promise in his innings but was dismissed for 11 shortly after a rain break. Despite hitting two boundaries off Shaheen Shah Afridi, Rohit had no answer to a full ball that moved in and hit the top of his off-stump.

Rohit Sharma had previously scored centuries in his last two ODIs against Pakistan, making him a player to watch out for in this match. However, facing a formidable pace attack consisting of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf, Rohit's dismissal was a major setback for India. The rest of the Indian batting line-up now faced the daunting task of playing against a top-quality pace attack.

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were expected to play crucial roles in this high-intensity match against Pakistan. Unfortunately, both of India's star batsmen fell victim to Pakistan's experienced pacers. Rohit and Kohli have historically struggled against left-arm bowlers, and they failed to execute their shots against Afridi, who adjusted his lengths after the rain break.

It was evident that taking on Afridi, Naseem, and Rauf was always going to be a challenge. However, the lack of execution from India's premier batsmen was disappointing. Rohit and Kohli had played in the first ODI against West Indies the previous month, but their lack of match practice was evident. The last time they were involved in a full ODI series was against Australia in March.

The match was also marked by concerns about rain, which proved to be accurate as the players were forced off the field in the fifth over. The rain break seemed to work in Pakistan's favor, particularly for Shaheen Shah Afridi, as he dismissed the dangerous Rohit Sharma.

Shubman Gill, who had a strong start to the year with several centuries, including a double century in ODIs, got off the mark in his 11th over. In a more encouraging development for India, Virat Kohli displayed his intent with a delightful cover drive off Naseem Shah. However, his wicket soon fell to Afridi, marking his second dismissal. This meant that Shreyas Iyer, who last played for India in March, joined forces with Shubman Gill, who was trying to regain form after underwhelming performances in the World Test Championship final against Australia and on the tour of Australia.

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