Pakistan won the toss against India and decided to bat first in the crucial tie at Asia Cup 2018. The Indian team brought Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah back into the playing XI and left out Khaleel Ahmed and Shardul Thakur. However, it was the exclusion of in-form KL Rahul is what irked the fans on social media. India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2018 LIVE Cricket Streaming on Hotstar and PTV Sports: Get Live Cricket Score, Watch Free Telecast of IND vs PAK ODI Match on TV & Online.
India’s Playing XI Against Pakistan at Asia Cup 2018: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan (vc), Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Jasprit Bumrah.
KL Rahul scored a fine century in the last Test match against England and was also an excellent touch in the limited overs format on their tour to the UK. His exclusion from the team, ahead of Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav, is what made people question India’s team selection on social media. Betting Odds for India vs Pakistan at Asia Cup 2018 Match Predicts Rohit Sharma-led Men in Blue's Victory.
We take a look at the some of the Twitter reactions before the India-Pakistan Asia Cup 2018 match.
1. KL Rahul should have played, indeed.
KL Rahul ko khilana tha yaar :(#INDvsPAK
— R A T N I $ H (@LoyalSachinFan) September 19, 2018
2. You find the sarcasm, already?
Missing KL Rahul in the match with Pakistan, thought he was given rest after fabulous 100 against England in last test.
What could have Rohit Sharma's strategy for this.@klrahul11 @ImRo45 #INDvsPAK #INDvPAK
— Chitra (@ccricviews) September 19, 2018
3. A question that is on everybody's mind.
I dont understand Indian team management. They give endless chances to Manish Pandey and Dinesh Karthik but 1 or 2 failures and KL Rahul is out of the team. Pathetic batting lineup for today's match.#INDvPAK
— Radhe (@AmarJassal) September 19, 2018
4. Has Indian team management already decided about KL Rahul's role in the team?
No KL Rahul in the XI. The team management has made clear that they aren't looking upon him as a middle-order batsman, and only as a backup opener. #INDvPAK #AsiaCup2018
— Sparsh Telang (@sparshblogger) September 19, 2018
5. For sure!
Dinesh Kartik playing ahead of KL Rahul and Manish Pandey. Hadh he hai yaar. ! What is the management thinking ? #INDvPAK #INDvsPAK #IndiavsPakistan #AsiaCup2018 #AsiaCup #AsiaCup18 pic.twitter.com/hH8VKu00BO
— Yash Hurkat (@YashHurkat) September 19, 2018
6. Are you kidding me?
Are you Kidding me! How can you do that not KL Rahul in 11 and you pick Karthik. He can’t do anything; this is stupid decision. Non of the batsman can play atttacking cricket in Indian side.
— Anand Yadav (@AnandYa19850415) September 19, 2018
7. Why?
Why is KL Rahul not part of the XI #INDvsPAK
— CalvinDev (@malthnks) September 19, 2018
After winning the toss, Pakistan captain said that they would be looking to score runs on the board and put the Indian team under pressure. As for Indian captain Rohit Sharma, he said that he wanted to bat too. However, it was okay to chase as they had batted first yesterday. Stay tuned with us for all the latest updates on India vs Pakistan match at Asia Cup 2018!
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 19, 2018 05:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).