Asia Cup 2022: “Meherbaan badi der ki aate aate” - Inzamam-ul-Haq feels India’s impressive performance against Afghanistan came a bit too late

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has stated that Team India’s dominating performance in the Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 match against Afghanistan came a little too late.

India hammered Afghanistan by 101 runs in an inconsequential encounter in Dubai on Thursday, September 8. Sent in to bat first after losing the toss, India posted a mammoth 212 for two on the board courtesy of Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 122 off 61 balls. Bhuvneshwar Kumar then claimed five for four as Afghanistan were restricted to 111-8.

The result, however, did not matter as both India and Afghanistan were knocked out of the race for the final before the game. Analyzing Team India’s performance in Thursday’s match, Inzamam said on his YouTube channel:

“Meherbaan badi der ki aate aate (It came a bit too late). The kind of form and performance that everyone was expecting from India was on display against Afghanistan. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli batted really well, and that aggression in their game was evident.

"But it was a bit too late as it did not help their cause with regard to progressing further in the tournament.”

During the match, Kohli broke his century drought, registering his first three-figure score since November 2019. Rahul, who has struggled for rhythm since returning from injury, also helped himself to an impressive half-century (62 off 41).

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“His form is crucial for India to win matches” - Inzamam on Virat Kohli’s hundred

One of the biggest positives for the Men in Blue from the win against Afghanistan was Kohli’s blazing hundred. His unbeaten 122-run knock was studded with 12 fours and six sixes.

Speaking about the former Indian captain’s knock, Inzaman admitted:

“It is definitely good news for India that Kohli scored a hundred after more than thousand days. His form is crucial for India to win matches going forward. Kohli himself will be relieved and will be much more relaxed now.”

The Pakistan legend, however, raised questions over India’s ability to perform in big matches. Pointing out their Super 4 losses against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Inzamam stated:

“One thing that I noticed during the tournament was that Indians were under a lot of pressure. Against big teams in tough conditions, quality teams come out with stronger performances; they don’t struggle. If India continue to underperform this way in crunch games, it won’t be good news for them. Things are only bound to get difficult.”

India were knocked out of the Asia Cup after going down to Pakistan and Sri Lanka by five and six wickets, respectively. They also failed to reach the semi-finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup.