The cricketing world was witness to an extraordinary run as India clinched 10 consecutive victories in the ODI World Cup nine in the league stage and one in the semifinals. However, the dream run came to a screeching halt in the final against Australia, where India, the outright favorite, faltered, losing by six wickets. The stunning defeat prompted former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi to make a razor-sharp comment that reverberated across social media.
While live on Samaa TV, a Pakistan channel, during India’s innings, Afridi offered his perspective. He attributed India’s loss to sheer overconfidence, stating, “Jab aap continue game jeete ja rahe ho toh overconfidence bhi zyada ho jati hai. toh woh cheez aapko marwah deti hai” (When you have won all the games continuously, the ‘overconfidence’ is too much. So, this could lead to their downfall).
India’s batting woes unfolded as Shubman Gill departed early, and the captain, along with Shreyas Iyer, fell successively, leaving the team reeling at a critical juncture. Afridi, unimpressed with Iyer’s shot selection against Australia skipper Pat Cummins, highlighted the impact of overconfidence on performance.
Virat Kohli and KL Rahul managed to salvage a fourth-wicket partnership, contributing 67 runs in 18.3 overs. Kohli’s half-century was a testament to his skill, but after his dismissal, the rest of the lineup crumbled, and India posted a modest total of 240 runs.
Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne orchestrated a remarkable fourth-wicket partnership, amassing 192 runs. Head’s exceptional innings, where he scored 137 runs, made him the third Australian centurion in a World Cup final.
Riding on the momentum of Head and Labuschagne’s partnership, Australia comfortably chased down the target with seven overs to spare, securing their victory in the World Cup final.
Post-final, Afridi expressed disappointment in the Indian crowd for their subdued response to Head’s century. He remarked on the surprising silence, stating that a sports-loving nation should appreciate every athlete’s efforts. The lack of applause, especially during a massive hundred, left Afridi puzzled.
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Afridi also noted the drop in the team’s body language, echoing the silent demeanor of the crowd. The disconnect between the on-field brilliance and the muted crowd reactions raised questions about the dynamics between the players and the spectators.
He said: “I think we all have experienced this at some point in our career. Whenever we hit a boundary or score a century or take a wicket, there is never any response from the (Indian) crowd. Yesterday when Travis Head scored a century, then the crowd was silent. Why? A sports-loving nation always appreciates every athlete and their efforts, but not getting that from the Indian crowd, which is a so-called-educated crowd was surprising. It was such a massive hundred, at least a few could have stood up to applaud. And the way the team’s body language kept droping, crowd had the same thing going.”
