India have recognized that they will need to be wary of and prepare well for the threat that Shaheen Afridi will pose against them in their upcoming encounter against Pakistan. For that, the management called up Aniket Choudhary to give practice to Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and other Indian batters.
India will kick-start their Asia Cup 2023 on September 2 against Pakistan in Kandy. Such is the format of the Asia Cup that India can potentially face Pakistan thrice, including in the final. The two arch-rivals will also meet in the World Cup 2023 on October 14 in Ahmedabad.
The Indian cricket team and its fans still remember the defeat Shaheen Afridi consigned to them in the T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai when the left-arm speedster dismissed India’s trio of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul.
In the past few years, the Indian batters have struggled to left-arm pacers – be it Mohammad Amir, Trent Boult, Obed McCoy, or David Willey.
To rectify those errors and to be better prepared to face Shaheen Afridi in the upcoming Asia Cup, Rajasthan’s left-arm pacer Aniket Choudhary was called up to India’s ongoing camp in Alur in Bangalore.
Known for his swing movement, and having recently done well in domestic cricket, Aniket Choudhary gave practice to the Indian batsmen. While Aniket Choudhary doesn’t match the class or pace of Shaheen Afridi, the management is hoping that the Indian top-order could get use to the left-arm angle at least and the ball swinging into their pads from that angle.
Who is Aniket Choudhary?
Born in Rajasthan, 33-year-old Aniket Choudhary is a former RCB bowler. Choudhary played in 5 IPL matches in 2017 under Virat Kohli at RCB, picking 5 wickets. He was bought by RCB again in 2018 IPL but was released the next season without a game. Sadly, he didn’t get to play in the IPL again.
Talking about his domestic career, Aniket Choudhary made his first-class debut in 2011, and so far, in 75 FC games, he’s picked up 247 wickets at an impressive average of 24 with 14 five-wicket hauls. He has 92 T20 wickets in 72 T20s.
