Mohammad Hafeez claims 'underperforming' India won't win T20 World Cup 2024 as he brutally trolls Rohit Sharma & Co.

India and Afghanistan are all set to kick off their journey in the Super-8 stage of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 with a much-waited clash between the two Asian teams on Thursday, June 20, at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

The Afghanistan cricket team is coming into the high-stakes Super-8 clash on the back of their crushing defeat against the co-hosts, the West Indies, in their final Group C match, while the Indian cricket team is unbeaten in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, with their last game against Canada washed out in Florida.

India and Afghanistan gear up for Super-8 showdown in ICC T20 World Cup 2024

However, India played their last game in the tournament on June 12 against the USA. Afghanistan has already played a couple of matches in the Caribbean Islands and even in Barbados, so they will have an extra edge in terms of conditions.

On the other hand, Team India is riding high on confidence, and the players have extensive experience of playing conditions in the West Indies. They are also fresh, so they would be raring to outsmart Afghanistan in the Super-8 clash.

Ahead of the IND vs AFG Super-8 clash, former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has launched a scathing attack on the Indian cricket team over their ICC drought. Hafeez mentioned that there are a lot of big and legendary players, but they haven’t won an ICC trophy since 2013.

He also said that the Men in Blue are underperforming in the ICC events. They were very close to winning the ODI World Cup 2023 at home but lost to Australia. But this time also, they couldn’t cross this line. The former Pakistan captain expressed his wonder at how people are overhyping India and giving them the tag of one of the favorites to win the T20 World Cup 2024.

Mohammad Hafeez slams India's performances in ICC events

According to his personal point of view, the former PCB Director of Cricket doesn’t think India’s drought of the ICC title will end this time, while also labeling them as the underperforming team in the ICC events.

He mentioned that India has great individuals, and they will test themselves against one of the best teams in the world, but he doesn’t consider them one of the favorites to win the ongoing T20 World Cup in 2024. 

Hafeez also picked Australia and South Africa are the favorites to win the trophy. He made these shocking comments during his candid discussion with former England captain Michael Vaughan and Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist on the 'Club Prairie Fire' YouTube channel.

"It's a challenge, to be honest, because India, like, we can tag them with all the big names, to be honest. Like, they are the giants, they are the global force and everything, but they've never won any ICC event in the last 10 years. I agree. They are underperforming in ICC events, so this could be one of the challenges they must be playing for as a team, because last time they were very close to winning. But I think somewhere they couldn't cross that line, so I think this time they must be playing with a challenge to do it for the right reason. And, you know, to prove yourself as the best team, you need to be in ICC events," he said.

"You could be great individuals. If you don't win ICC events, you should not be tagged that much. But unfortunately, not unfortunately, but I think for the right reason, for some of the people, the tag in India is higher than their level, I believe," he added.

Earlier, Hafeez revealed that he found 4 to 5 players asleep in the dressing room mid-game, a behavior he strongly condemned. He emphasized the need for unwavering focus during the matches and urged the players to maintain their commitment on and off the field.

Notably, he served as the Pakistan team director and the interim head coach from November 2023 to February 2024.