‘Iyer bhai ye konsi line me aagye aap’ – Fans react as Shreyas Iyer’s doppelganger makes his umpiring debut in ODI World Cup 2023 Warm-up matches

As the 2023 edition of the ODI World Cup’s warm-up matches kicked off, cricket fans were treated to an unexpected spectacle during the 3rd warm-up game which is happening between New Zealand and Pakistan in Hyderabad on Friday, September 29. The spotlight shifted from the players to one of the on-field umpires, Akshay Totre, who made his umpiring in the World Cup warm-up matches.

The moment Totre took his position on the field, eagle-eyed fans quickly spotted the striking similarities between him and India’s star batter Shreyas Iyer. Social media platforms were soon flooded with memes and witty comments as the cricketing world collectively did a double-take. Some fans playfully questioned whether Iyer had taken up umpiring as a side gig.

The hilarious comparisons and playful banter on social media added a dose of humour to the intense cricketing action. While Akshay Totre’s umpiring skills might be his primary focus, his unexpected celebrity look-alike status made this particular warm-up match an unforgettable and amusing moment for cricket fans worldwide.

We want to come out as winners: Babar Azam

Talking about the match, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. However, the decision proved to be wrong as Pakistan’s opening batters Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique departed without providing a good start to the team. Matt Henry got the first wicket in the 3rd over of the innings as he got Imam caught behind the wickets.

Shafique, who was already struggling, was dismissed by star allrounder Mitchell Santner in the 12th over. As usual, the team’s most experienced and reliable batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan steadied the ship and also started scoring at a better run rate. At the time of writing, Pakistan were on 90 for 2 wickets after 20 overs. Before leaving for India, Babar attended a press conference in Pakistan where he said that the top 4 is not a goal for them.

“The top-four is a small goal for us. We want to come out as winners. We did not have enough time to put together a camp before the World Cup because we had been playing for too long continuously. We wanted to give the players a break so they come back refreshed and with the hunger to win. You play well when you have that hunger,” Babar was quoted as saying by India Today.

Here’s how fans reacted:

https://twitter.com/JeebanTosh/status/1707687633735053612