Former Pakistan allrounder Imad Wasim has backed India amid allegations from certain quarters that pitches in the T20 World Cup 2026 were prepared to suit the hosts. India made history by beating New Zealand in the final and becoming the first team to win the T20 World Cup thrice.
India put up a dominant batting display throughout the tournament where they even posted 250-plus total. However, there was criticism where it was said that pitches were prepared batting-friendly to hand India an advantage.
Unlike other former players from Pakistan, Imad has backed the arch-rivals and said India are a “bigger team” than Pakistan or any other side that played in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
“We always hear people saying that umpires favour India or that they prepare spin-friendly pitches, but you have to agree that in this tournament, the pitches were very well balanced. Sometimes, the conditions were even against India, but they still managed to deliver a dominating performance,” Imad said on a Pakistani TV show.
“So, we should not always nitpick or claim that India are looking for an escape route. As a cricketing nation, we have to praise them for their performance and accept the fact that they are bigger than us (Pakistan) and many other teams,” he added.
After India successfully defended their title in Ahmedabad on March 8, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi lauded India’s bench strength in the tournament.
“The World Cup is over. I think India deserved the title. They have a great team combination. The players sitting on the bench were also as good as the playing eleven. This is why I say that your bench needs to be strong. India’s bench was very strong, they could have picked anyone from there and slotted them into the playing eleven. They played the whole tournament as champions,” Afridi posted in a video on his X account.
“Sanju Samson was outstanding. He got the opportunity, and he delivered with his sensible hitting and his ability to build the innings. Abhishek Sharma also performed well tonight. Ishan Kishan also performed outstandingly, just like he had performed against Pakistan. Jasprit Bumrah was the backbone of their bowling, who has carried India on his back for a long time with his impressive performances. Be it with the new ball, old ball, slower one or yorker, he is one of the best bowlers in my opinion,” he also said.
