'Hope he gets well soon'; wanted Indian star to play; Pak skipper takes prize wicket in 1st over

COLOMBO: Pakistan captain Salman Ali's words in the press conference held on Saturday, the day before the match, were noteworthy. A journalist had pointed out that Indian player Abhishek Sharma did not play in the last match due to injury and that he was not feeling well. The Pakistani captain's response to this went viral. Later, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav's response was also much discussed.

When asked about Abhishek's absence, Salman Ali said:

"I really hope he [Abhishek] will play tomorrow. He is a good player, and we want to play against the best team they have. Really hope he's recovering well and can play". The statement went viral for its confident tone and "sportsmanlike" sentiment, to which Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav later offered a witty, sarcastic reply, saying, “Okay, if he (Agha) wants him (Abhishek) to play, then we will play him tomorrow.”

However, Abhishek Sharma was dismissed in the first over itself. The player could not score any runs after facing four balls. It was Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha himself, who surprised everyone by coming to bowl the first over, who dismissed Abhishek Sharma. Abhishek Sharma was caught by Shaheen Shah Afridi at mid-on while trying to score a boundary. Abhishek had been out for a duck in both matches played in the tournament.