The T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final loss of the Indian cricket team to England dampened the cricketing spirit in the Asian sub-continent as many supporters were anticipating a probable Indo-Pak final. One of the finest cricketers from Pakistan to ever play the game, Shoaib Akhtar, criticised the Indian squad in a social media video after Rohit Sharma and company suffered a humbling loss to England. Even Akhtar claimed that Pakistan had been anticipating playing India in the summit match, but that won’t be possible any longer.
In his critique of the Indian team’s performance against England, Akhtar slammed the calibre of cricket the team played at Adelaide Oval. Additionally, Yuzvendra Chahal’s lack of participation in the team’s T20 World Cup games was questioned by Akhtar. “It’s a very embarrassing loss for India. They played terribly and they deserved to lose. They didn’t deserve to qualify for the finals. India were beaten very badly. Their bowling was exposed very badly. These conditions are helpful for fast bowling and India don’t have an express pacer. I don’t know why they didn’t play Yuzvendra Chahal in a single match. The team selection for India is confusing,” he said.
Embarrassing loss for India. Bowling badly exposed. No meet up in Melbourne unfortunately. pic.twitter.com/HG6ubq1Oi4
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) November 10, 2022
Even more so, Akhtar claimed that the Indian team lacked the aggression necessary to prevail in the day’s games.
170/0
A figure thats going to disturb for times to come. Tough game India.
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) November 10, 2022
“It was a really bad day for India as their heads went down after they lost the toss. When England batted their first five overs, the Indians had their arms up in the air. At least, India should have tried to fight, maybe the bowlers could’ve bowled round the wicket and delivered a few bouncers. There was no aggression from the Indian side,” he added.
Hardik Pandya might soon take over as captain of the Indian team in the shortest format, Akhtar concluded. “There is a lot to think about for Indian cricket and now Hardik Pandya is an emerging captain for New Zealand and he has a chance of being permanent,” the retired pace bowler concluded.