Asia Cup 2023 IND vs SL: Rohit Sharma’s Indian team struck headlines following a stellar victory over Sri Lanka in the most recent Asia Cup 2023 encounter. India squared off against Sri Lanka yesterday in Colombo amid a decisive fixture in the occurring Asian competition. The enthralling India-Sri Lanka clash remained a low-scoring affair with visitors India registering a 41-run victory.

Winning the toss, batting first – India posted a below-par total of 213 on the board in Colombo. Skipper Rohit Sharma led India’s run chart with a 52-run knock while most other India batters had an off day on the field. Despite not having a big score to defend, Indian bowlers turned up extraordinarily well in bowling-friendly Colombo conditions. Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav starred in India’s successful run defense by bagging 4 dismissals. 

Asia Cup 2023: Shoaib Akhtar: ‘I Was Receiving Messages That India Fixed The Game’

Meanwhile, veteran Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has hit out critics who labeled Team India as ‘fixers’ amid the India-Sri Lanka clash. Many Pakistani fans had forced match-fixing accusations on India when they were struggling momentarily in yesterday’s game against Sri Lanka. The fans claimed that the Indian team was playing the game rather casually in order to lose the game, which would have virtually knocked Pakistan out of the Asia Cup 2023.

“I was receiving messages that India had fixed the game, and they played badly so that Pakistan got knocked out. Are you guys out of your minds? They are bowling their hearts out.” said Shoaib Akhtar on his YouTube channel

As it happened, the Indian team overcame those tricky situations in the Colombo game to ultimately register a comprehensive win. While reacting to Pakistani fans’ accusations, Shoaib Akhtar lost his cool and called the claims nonsensical. Akhtar further praised the Indian team for showing astute intensity before highlighting Dunith Wellalage’s all-round heroics.

“Wellalage has bowled really well. He also scored 43. Suddenly, I received phone calls that India is losing so that Pakistan could get eliminated. Man, why would they lose? They could have reached the final with a win, and they did. Absolute nonsense,” Akhtar further added