India still have some outside chances of making it into the semi-finals of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021. If Afghanistan beat New Zealand in their Group 2 game on Sunday and Virat Kohli & Co. defeat Namibia on Monday, India will become the fourth team to book a place in the semi-finals.
No wonder Indian fans are supporting Afghanistan and hoping to see Kiwis losing their match in order to strengthen India’s chances of qualifying for the knock-out stage. Not only fans, even Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has hoped that his side could help Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who missed the last two matches due to injury.
Ashwin asserted that he wished India could help Mujeeb so that the mystery spinner could assist the Mohammad Nabi-led side in defeating the Black Caps. Ashwin mentioned that Afghanistan have played some good cricket and offered them luck for their upcoming fixture.
“It’s a funny game, and Afghanistan has played good cricket, and a lot of our hopes rest with them, so all the very best to them. I really wish if we could provide any physio support to Mujeeb, we can get him on the field. That is all we can hope for,” Ashwin said in a press conference.
Meanwhile, ahead of India’s scintillating eight-wicket win against Scotland, Ashwin responded to the critics, who had questioned his selection. Notably, the Tamil Nadu cricketer made his comeback to limited-overs format when he played the game against Afghanistan. Ashwin bowled at an economy of less than four and finished his four-over quota with two wickets and 14 runs.
After the win against Afghanistan, Ashwin justified his selection and urged people not to pass expert opinions. He also explained that taking wickets in the T20 format is much more challenging as compared to the other formats.
“For a lot of people who are giving expert opinions on the game, I sometimes feel sorry for them. I have been playing this format since 2007-8, and every two years, the game leaves our realms, and it teaches us something because the game is so fast-paced. I feel the understanding of the game is still backward in so many ways. When you say a bowler has to pick wickets, there are different plans for fast bowlers, and for spinners, there are different plans. There are different lengths that you cannot afford to bowl as you do in a Test match. Wicket-taking is not something that happens,” Ashwin had said in a presser.
