Former Pakistan stalwarts, players, and critics have expressed gratitude and grudging praise for India’s record second consecutive T20 World Cup victory.
According to former Test captain and legendary batsman Javed Miandad, any team that could score more than 250 runs in the semifinal and final should win.
On Sunday night in Ahmedabad, India defeated New Zealand by a commanding 96 runs after posting a formidable 255/5.
“Their team (India) is now reaping the benefits of a strong process-driven cricket structure. If you look at the talent they are producing now, it is because of their strong structure. They are not short on batters, spinners or fast bowlers and their young players are result-driven and have game awareness,” PTI quoted Miandad as saying.
The former great pointed out that when a team’s dressing room develops a winning attitude and mindset, it always results in championship victories, which is why India won the Champions Trophy last year.
“We had this environment in our dressing room once and we won frequently,” he said.
India’s victory, according to former captain Rashid Latif, wasn’t shocking because their players were already used to playing well under pressure.
“When you regularly reach finals of big events players also get accustomed to winning,” he said.
In contrast to Pakistan, where frequent changes and impatience have led to a number of issues, he added that the Indian cricket team’s success is mostly due to continuity and stability.
Dr. Nauman Niaz, a cricket broadcaster, analyst, and writer, claimed that India’s convincing performance in the final opened his eyes to how well their players performed their jobs and had adjusted to the changes in contemporary T20 cricket.
“Their success is based around a perfect blend of young brave players and seniors coming through when most required like Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya did in the final,” Niaz said.
According to former Test bowler Sikander Bakht, the Pakistan squad would continue to struggle against elite teams in important events as long as the current culture of likes, dislikes, and making poor captaincy and selection decisions persists.
“We must stop finding excuses for our failures and take the right decisions.”
Nothing will change until everyone in Pakistan acknowledges India’s superiority as a team, according to former Test batsman and chief selector Muhammad Wasim, who was the head coach of the Pakistani women’s team until last year.
“We generally try to find faults and float conspiracy theories whenever we lose to India or they do well in big events. We need to stop that and accept their team is a top side and we must try to improve ourselves by learning from our mistakes,” Wasim said.
Former head coach Mohsin Khan said India’s focus on red-ball and Test cricket is helping produce players who are battle-hardened through the grind.
“Plus, I don’t see any insecurity among the Indian players. Maybe because financially their Board looks after them very well,” Khan said.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar attributed India’s success to long-term strategy and structural strength.
“India have proven they are thinking in the correct manner and they have given opportunities to the right people at the right time. The speed at which India is going and the way they are investing in their system, and also the way they respect their elder generation of cricket, is commendable,” Akhtar said on ‘tapmad’ YouTube channel.
