Legendary Pakistan cricketer Wasim Akram shared his insights on the premature declaration of India as World Cup champions, attributing the blame to fans, social media, and television channels. The anticipation and expectations were sky-high as India entered the World Cup final against Australia.
The disappointment that followed India’s defeat in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19 left a billion hearts broken. Despite winning 10 consecutive games and entering the final as favorites, India struggled against Australia, and the tactical brilliance of the Aussies took center stage.
Wasim Akram, while acknowledging India’s exceptional tournament run, criticized the premature declarations of India as champions on social media and television. He believes this added pressure and set unrealistic expectations, ultimately affecting the morale of the team and the fans.
Australia’s captain, Pat Cummins, surprised many by opting to bowl after winning the toss in the final. This decision turned out to be a significant moment that set the tone for the game. Led by Cummins, the Australia pacers strategically choked India in the middle overs, allowing only four boundaries between overs 11 to 40. Despite a brisk start, India stuttered to 240 on a slow track.
Australia’s understanding of the pitch conditions proved crucial. They read the slow track perfectly, anticipating that it wouldn’t break like the red soil, easing out as the match progressed.
Travis Head’s century, becoming the third Australian after Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, guided Australia to their record-extending sixth World Cup title. The overwhelming disappointment of the close to 95 thousand crowd in Ahmedabad and more than a billion Indian fans worldwide was palpable as Head’s century unfolded.
Akram acknowledged the natural high expectations from a team that won 10 matches on the trot. The consistency and quality of cricket played by India set the stage for grand expectations. Wasim Akram pointed out the premature declaration of India as World Cup champions on social media and television. He urged acceptance of the mistake, emphasizing that while India played well, one bad game shouldn’t overshadow their achievements.
“I can understand that, as a nation, it will be tough to get over it because your team played so well throughout the tournament. They won 10 matches on the trot, and there was consistency. But television, social media, fans… you all already made India the winner of the World Cup. You accept your mistake, too, I’m sorry. You increased the hope of the people because they were playing so well. It’s not entirely your fault. They were playing very good cricket. But it came to just one bad game. Credit goes to Australia,” he said on Star Sports.
Akram emphasized the need for media and fans to accept the mistake of prematurely declaring India as champions. He expressed sympathy for the shock and heartbreak the fans experienced. Wasim Akram gave credit to Australia for their execution of plans in the middle overs. He highlighted their meticulous bowling strategy, denying Suryakumar Yadav.
“In the middle overs from 11-40, there were very few boundaries because of the way they bowled. They didn’t bowl a single pace-on delivery to Suryakumar Yadav. Fine-leg and a third man were literally behind the keeper. So they had better plans,” he added.
