Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh. (FILE photo)IND vs PAK: Passions ride high every time there is a India vs Pakistan game. Not just for the billion fans who are invested in the game, players too can get carried away with the fever-pitch excitement that an IND vs PAK encounter brings along. Yuvraj Singh found this out the hard way when he was sledged by Shahid Afridi in what was his first India vs Pakistan game.
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The incident happened in 2003, when India and Pakistan met in a Cricket World Cup game in South Africa’s Centurion.
Batting first, Pakistan had scored 273/7. India got off to a good start, with Sachin Tendulkar scoring 98 runs. Later, Rahul Dravid (44 not out) and Yuvraj Singh (50 not out) added 99 runs for the 5th wicket to drag India to victory in the 46th over. The 6-wicket win was not without drama, because Tendulkar battled cramps and needed a runner. Afridi sledged Tendulkar relentlessly and then turned his attention towards Yuvraj.
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Talking about the 2003 World Cup match, Yuvraj said in an episode of JioHotstar’s ‘Greatest Rivalry Returns’: “It’s one of the greatest ODI games I’ve played. My friend Shahid Afridi welcomed me with a lot of ‘kind words’ in that game. That was when I truly understood what the India-Pakistan rivalry meant. Watching it on TV was one thing, but playing in it was completely different. I remember the immense pressure, but performing well in that game gave me the confidence to become a better player in the future.”
Afridi also gave his point of view on the same episode.
“Yuvraj was young at the time, just finding his place in the team. We had the opportunity to play alongside legends like Inzamam-ul-Haq bhai and Wasim Akram bhai, who taught us how to fight on the ground, how to win matches, and how to unsettle the opposition. Our seniors used to tell us, ‘Show the opposition your eyes. Put pressure on them.’ But Yuvraj is the son of a Sardar—he doesn’t take pressure. He came in with confidence, and despite everything we said, he focused on his batting and handled it very well.”
In an interview with Star Sports in 2022, Sehwag had recalled how Tendulkar was targetted by Pakistan players like Afridi.
“I came to run for him during the game because he was having cramps, and Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi was abusing him a lot, kept saying something or the other. But he remained focused. He knew it was important for him to stay at the crease. He usually doesn’t take a runner, but still he knew that if I come, I will run like he does. There won’t be any misunderstanding,” Sehwag had said.
“No matter what series it is (ICC tournament or bilateral), the match between India and Pakistan is always intense. And we will always see fights or incidents taking place between players of both countries. And I remember there was a statement from Shoaib Akhtar that he will absolutely destroy the top order. I didn’t read the statement, and neither did Sachin, but Sachin did respond strongly to it in the first over of our innings. He hit 18 runs in that over,” he added.
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