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When Young Shubman Gill Unsettled Shaheen Afridi With Sheer Audacity In Asia Cup

Jatin

Shubman Gill and Shaheen Afridi [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com]Shubman Gill and Shaheen Afridi [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com]

When India take on Pakistan, the whole cricketing world comes to a standstill. Eyes lock on the big stars and one battle that always grabs the headlines is Shubman Gill vs Shaheen Afridi.

With the Asia Cup 2025 now switching gears into T20I mode, this contest has already got fans rubbing their hands in anticipation. But before we look ahead, let’s take a look their face-off in the 2023 Asia Cup.

The Group Stage Clash In Pallekele

The first Gill–Shaheen chapter came in the group stage. It wasn’t a blockbuster, but it set the tone. Shubman Gill looked scratchy against Pakistan’s pace battery. He scratched around for 10 off 32 balls before Haris Rauf knocked him over. India posted 266, but the heavens opened and the game ended in a no result. That meant the real Gill vs Shaheen face-off had to wait for another day.

The Super Fours Battle And Gill’s Counterattack

The Super Fours in Colombo told a different story. Gill walked out like a man on a mission. He went after Shaheen Afridi early, cutting and driving him for three boundaries in the third over and then repeating the dose in the fifth.

For a while, it looked like Gill had cracked the Afridi code. India’s openers gave a solid start and Gill raced to 58 off 52, playing the anchor’s role to perfection.

But cricket has a funny way of biting back. Afridi returned for his second spell, switched gears and bowled a leg cutter on a good length. Gill shaped up for a drive, but he was through the shot too soon. The ball kissed the upper half of the bat and floated gently to cover. The hunter had his prey.

Gill departed, but by then the foundation was set. India ended up with a mammoth 356/2 thanks to Virat Kohli and KL Rahul tons. Kuldeep Yadav then spun a web, bagging a fifer and Pakistan folded for just 128.

Gill Vs Afridi Asia Cup 2023 Battle In Numbers

In two matches of Asia Cup 2023, Gill faced 23 balls from Shaheen and scored 25 runs at a strike rate of 108.7. He cracked six boundaries, played out 16 dot balls and was dismissed once. It was a contest full of cat-and-mouse moments with Gill trying to dominate early but Shaheen finding his moment later.

The T20I Twist In Dubai

Coming to September 14, 2025 in Dubai, this time it’s T20 cricket, not the 50-over format. And Gill and Shaheen have never faced each other in T20Is. With Gill now India’s vice-captain and Afridi still leading Pakistan’s pace attack, this battle could set the tone for the entire clash.