India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his perspective on the controversial incident involving Afghanistan‘s Gulbadin Naib, who had allegedly ‘faked’ an injury to waste time during the T20 World Cup Super Eight match against Bangladesh.
With Bangladesh two runs behind the DLS par score and drizzle starting, Afghanistan’s coach Jonathan Trott signaled his players to slow down the game, leading Naib to go down clutching his hamstring.
After Afghanistan secured their semi-final spot, Naib responded to Ashwin with a cryptic reply: “Kabi khushi kabi gham main huta hai hamstring.”
“In Afghanistan, it is not just momentum. It is a country with so much hope. They are playing for one another. This playing for one another, we can say a thousand things about it. We can say it to so many people. Doesn’t India play for one another? For the badge? Of course. But Afghanistan, at this stage of their cricketing journey, are playing for one another like I have never seen anything like this,” said Ashwin.
The commitment of the Afghan team paid off as they defeated Bangladesh by eight runs using the DLS method in their final Super Eight match, earning four points and advancing to the semi-finals.