Electing to bat first, the Asia team posted a challenging total of 165/6 in their allotted 20 overs, courtesy of Misbah ul Haq‘s brilliant 73 runs off just 50 balls. Upul Tharanga also contributed well, with 40 runs off 39 deliveries. Meanwhile, Parvinder Awana and Stuart Binny emerged out to be the most successful bowlers for India, taking two wickets each while conceding 31 and 22 runs, respectively.
Chasing a target of 166 runs, the Indian side got off to a decent start, with skipper Gambhir scoring a half-century (54 runs off 39 balls). However, the team lost wickets at regular intervals, and despite Irfan Pathan‘s quickfire cameo of 19, they could only manage to score 156/8 in 20 overs and eventually lost the contest by nine runs. Sohail Tanvir was the pick of the bowlers for the Asian side as he scalped three wickets for his team and gave away just 27 runs.
Apart from the thrilling clash, fans and viewers also loved the heartwarming gesture of the Asia team’s skipper Afridi who walked up to Gambhir and asked if the 41-year-old opener was fine after getting hit on the helmet.
In the 12th over of India’s batting, Asia bowler Abdul Razzaq produced a delivery that Gambhir tried to hit towards the fine leg boundary but ended up deflecting the white leather onto his helmet. The 46-year-old former Pakistan captain soon after the happening approached the Delhi cricketer and asked if he was alright. The incident has ever since gone viral on the internet, and Afridi is receiving a lot of praise from cricket enthusiasts on social media.
Here’s the video:
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