Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi’s blunt assessment of India’s World Cup final loss has gained widespread attention, with his comment on live TV going viral. The former Pakistan captain attributed India’s defeat to excessive overconfidence, pointing to their impressive 10-match winning streak leading up to the final.
Despite India’s dominant performance with nine consecutive victories in the league stage and a win in the semifinals, they faltered when it mattered most, losing by six wickets to Australia. Afridi expressed his views during a live broadcast on Samaa TV, a Pakistan channel, criticizing India’s overconfidence as a key factor in their downfall.
Afridi’s comment came as India batted first against Australia in challenging conditions. While Rohit Sharma showcased a strong performance with 47 runs off 31 balls, the team suffered a setback with quick dismissals of Shubman Gill, the captain, and Shreyas Iyer.
“When you keep winning consecutive games, overconfidence tends to increase. So, that thing can harm you,” Afridi said on Samaa TV.
Despite a promising partnership between Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, India could only post just 240 runs. Australia, fueled by a formidable fourth-wicket partnership of 192 runs between Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne, secured victory with seven overs to spare.
“I believe we’ve all experienced this in our careers. Whenever we hit a boundary, score a century, or take a wicket, there’s never any response from the Indian crowd. Even when Travis Head scored a century yesterday, the crowd remained silent. Why? A sports-loving nation typically appreciates every athlete and their efforts. It was surprising not to get that from the Indian crowd, which is considered an educated crowd. It was such a massive hundred, that at least a few could have stood up to applaud. The team’s dropping body language mirrored the crowd’s sentiments,” he added.