Afghanistan’s cricket team may be out of the Asia Cup 2023, but their biggest fan, Wazhma Ayoubi, continues to watch the tournament with the same passion. Wazhma gained fame during the tournament when she was spotted wearing traditional outfits while cheering for Afghanistan against Bangladesh. Although she didn’t travel to Sri Lanka for the matches, she continues to support the team from UAE, where she lives and works.
After Afghanistan’s elimination, Wazhma became a fan of her second “home” team, India. She cheered for India during their matches against Pakistan and Nepal in the group stage. And when India faced Pakistan again in the Super 4s on September 10 and 11, Wazhma showed her support once more. She congratulated Rohit Sharma and the Indian team after their massive 228-run victory over Pakistan.
What stood out about Wazhma’s message of congratulations was her choice of words. Instead of using “India,” she used the term “Bharat” to congratulate the Men in Blue.
Wazhma’s post on Twitter said, “Congratulations Bharat! What a win!” She included hashtags for #INDvsPAK, #KLRahul, #Kohli, and #AsiaCup2023.
Earlier, when Virat Kohli surpassed 13,000 ODI runs, Wazhma also congratulated him. She called herself a “lucky charm” and praised the Indian team for their current form. She referred to Kohli as the “King” and celebrated his century against Pakistan by calling it the “Century of the GOAT.”
In the match between India and Pakistan, Pakistan won the toss and chose to field first. The game spanned two days, with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill providing a strong start for India. The opening partnership yielded 121 runs before Rohit got out, followed by Gill. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul then joined forces to take the team’s total to 356 for 2 in 50 overs. Both Kohli and Rahul scored centuries, putting immense pressure on the Pakistani bowlers.
Pakistan faced further setbacks with injuries to pacers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah. Shaheen Afridi was the only bowler who managed to take a wicket, but he conceded 79 runs in 10 overs. In their chase, Pakistan could only score 128 runs in 32 overs before getting bowled out. This was India’s biggest victory over Pakistan in an ODI, with a margin of 228 runs.
India and Pakistan are likely to face each other again in the tournament final on September 17. India’s next match is against Sri Lanka on September 12.