"Cheap Mentality": Shaheen Afridi Accused Of Deliberately Bowling Wides To Deny Virat Kohli Century
Virat Kohli was close to his century with India needing only a few runs when Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi bowled three wides in one over. The performance didn't go down well with fans and many former cricketers.
The India vs Pakistan, Champions Trophy 2025 clash was a dream game for star batter Virat Kohli. He was going through a lean patch with the bat, but rose to the occasion in style as India outplayed arch-rivals Pakistan by 6 wickets at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Kohli slammed a 100 not out as the Rohit Sharma-led side chased down a paltry target of 242 runs against Pakistan in 42.3 overs. It was Kohli's 51st century in ODI cricket, but that came after giving the fans some really tense moments. As Kohli was nearing his ton, India were also close to the victory line. At one point it even looked like the win will prevent Kohli's century as the required runs towards the end were quite few.
Ahead of the 42nd over of the India innings, the side needed 17 runs to win, while Kohli was 13 away from the three-figure mark. Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi came in to bowl the over and conceded 13 runs in it that included three wides.
Shaheen's performance raised a few eyebrows and some even alleged that he deliberately bowled those wides in an attempt to deny Kohli his century. During an interaction with News18 India, former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh's father Yograj Singh, who himself is an ex-international player, made similar allegations against the ace Pakistan pacer and slammed him by calling it a "cheap mentality".
"After getting the opponent out, one of the players (Abrar Ahmed) gestured. Then, when Kohli was about to score a hundred...if you have the ability bowl well and get him out. What were you (Shaheen Afridi) doing by bowling wides so that he couldn't score a century? Such a cheap mentality. This is not what you should be doing. Regardless of the result, you should play like a lion or a champion," said Yograj, who has played one Test and six ODIs for India.
A vintage Kohli sent the Dubai crowd in a frenzy, smashing his 51st ODI ton as India outclassed Pakistan in the match. It was India's second consecutive win in the tournament as the side had kicked off its campaign with an identical win margin against Bangladesh.
The Rohit Sharma-led team has made it to the semi-finals of the tournament. Ahead of the knockout match, India will be facing New Zealand in their last league game in Dubai. After this, the side will be in action during the first semi-final on March 4 at the same venue.
India Cricket Team
Pakistan Cricket Team
Virat Kohli
Shaheen Afridi