Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif was upset to see India’s emphatic 61-run victory over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup turn into a debate about Pakistan’s shortcomings rather than the dominance of the Men
in Blue.
Asked to bat first, India scored 175/7 in the first innings. In reply, Pakistan bundled out for 114 in just 18 overs. India qualified for the next round of the tournament while Pakistan were left on the edge, requiring to avoid a defeat aganst Namibia on Wednesday at all costs to stay in contention.
Speaking on ABP News, Kaif criticised former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar for steering the discussion toward Pakistan’s internal issues rather than acknowledging India’s superiority.
“Ever since we started the show, I’m not happy, because you have been saying the Pakistan team is anyway weak, is an unenergetic team. If that team had won today, then 100% Shoaib Akhtar would be saying right now that BCCI is prideful, that the players had too much ego,” Kaif said.
He added, “I want to say that by showing Pakistan as weak, you are taking away India’s excellence. You have just been showing that Pakistan is in trouble, that there’s no system, but what does that matter for India?”
Kaif also highlighted the immense pressure on match-winner Ishan Kishan, who struck a blistering 77 off 40 balls on a challenging surface in his first outing against Pakistan.
“We are talking about India, the Indian captain, Ishan Kishan who has played against Pakistan for the first time – how much pressure he must have on him, we aren’t talking about that. Give India’s players the credit because they are playing in a circumstance where imagine if they lost, then it would have been an outcry,” Kaif pointed out.
He further warned how quickly perceptions could have shifted. “You would say Suryakumar Yadav isn’t shaking hands and now the team has lost, they think they are so brave. Ishan Kishan, Jasprit Bumrah, all would have been on trial if they lost this match today,” stated Kaif.
