‘Before he left for WC, Babar was here. I begged him to,’ Ramiz Raja says of the firing of Rohit Sharma.

Pakistan has never beaten India in a World Cup matchup until last October. The two bitter rivals have squared off against one another 12 times on the biggest stage, seven times in ODIs, and five times in T20Is. However, Pakistan was able to escape the UAE’s restrictions when the Babar Azam-led team defeated India in the tournament’s first match by a margin of 10 wickets in 2021. With his new-ball exploits, Shaheen Afridi was the wreaker in charge, including the important dismissal of Rohit Sharma for a golden duck. Ramiz Raja, the president of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), detailed how he and Babar had plotted to get Rohit dismissed days before the two sides square off in their 2022 T20 World Cup opener.

Speaking on a BBC podcast, Ramiz said that he had questioned Babar about his intentions for the match against India, who were the clear favorites in that event before Babar went for the World Cup. Shaheen’s usage was then discussed with the Pakistani captain, who also provided details on where to position the fielders. Before departing for the World Cup, Babar Azam was present with the Chief Selector, and Ramiz questioned him about his ambitions for India.

Babar was interested when the man said, “I can tell you how to get rid of Rohit Sharma right now. Find Shaheen Afridi to bowl at 100 mph and get a guy to play short-leg, I commanded. Don’t give him a single, just bowl that inswinging yorker at 100 mph and keep him on strike. You’ll be able to free him, he said.

In the fourth ball of the game, Shaheen scored. Even though it was a yorker-length ball that had just slightly bowed inward, Rohit was defeated by its velocity. When Rohit attempted to get it through midwicket, the ball slightly curled in and whacked him square on the front leg.

At the Asia Cup, Shaheen was scheduled to take against Rohit and the Indian squad, but the bowler got injured. However, the left arm is back on the T20 World Cup roster and is ready to play against India.