After India registered a dominant 96-run win over New Zealand to clinch their third T20 World Cup title. Shoaib Akhtar had an interesting analogy to India’s dominance in the tournament, however, it was difficult to decipher if the former Pakistan pacer’s take was cynicism or praise for Team India.
Speaking on the ‘Game On Hai’ show on PTV Sports, Akhtar said: “India ne koshish ki, jaise ameer bacha nahi hota mohalle me, jo saare gareeb bacho ko bula leta hai, ‘aao cricket khele’. Jeetna sirf maine hai. India bhi wahi kar raha hai humare saath. 8 teams me se 4 reh gayi hai, unko hara ke kehta hai, lo me jeet gaya (India tried, just like that rich kid in the neighborhood who invites all the poor kids for a game of cricket just to beat them. India is doing the same thing to us. Out of 8 teams, only 4 are left; they beat them and then say, ‘Look, I won’).”
However, this rich kid vs poor kids analogy by Akhtar has not gone down well with the Indian fans, who have taken to the social media and have trolled the former Pakistan pacer for his comments.
Akhtar lauded India’s cricket where there is no dearth of talent. He too had a special mention for Sanju Samson, the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup 2026.
“It is the testament of their policies, system and merit. There could have been a case where money was not utilised properly. Gautam Gambhir took the risk and brought Sanju Samson into the mix. Abhishek Sharma is young and brash; he needs to learn a lot. But Samson is very mature,” said Akhtar.
Akhtar also backed India as favourites in future tournaments because of their bench strength.
“India showed how they give chances to the right players. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli said goodbye and now India have gone on to win the World Cup. With the speed they are going, it’s ominous,” he also said.
