In their debut T20 World Cup appearance, the USA cricket team has impressed with strong performances, securing victories against Ireland and Pakistan to sit in second place in Group A. With a promising chance to qualify for the Super 8 stage, the team’s success has been somewhat overshadowed by internal conflicts.
USA batter Jaskaran Malhotra, left out of the host nation’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad, recently engaged in a heated exchange with USA pacer Ali Khan on social media. The controversy started when Shayan Jahangir, a USA batter, was dismissed for a golden duck during their loss to India. Malhotra, seizing the moment, cracked a joke about Jahangir, who had previously declared his intention to show Virat Kohli “who is King.”
Malhotra shared a meme on X featuring Jahangir’s old quote about Kohli, captioning it,
And this happened when he played against Virat and his team,
alongside an image of Jahangir getting out for zero. Interestingly, Virat Kohli was also dismissed for a golden duck in the same match by former India U19 bowler Saurabh Netravalkar, who also took the wicket of Rohit Sharma.
Ali Khan responded sharply to Malhotra’s post, saying,
Never expected this from my ex-teammate. Hate towards another player! Very unprofessional of you.
Malhotra later deleted the original post and replied to Khan, defending his support for the USA cricket team.
Malhotra, known for hitting six sixes in an over in 2021, was excluded from the USA squad in favor of Jahangir, a decision that seemingly did not sit well with him.
Despite the internal strife, the USA team remains focused on their goal. After a setback against India, where Suryakumar Yadav’s fifty guided India to victory despite a top-order collapse, the USA still controls their destiny. A win over Ireland on June 14 will secure their spot in the Super 8 stage.
