IND vs BAN: “India Jis Tarah Upar Jaa Rahi Hai, Ahista Ahista, Yeh Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hai"- Shahid Afridi Makes Bold Prediction About Indian Team

The Men in Blue were defeated by South Africa by five wickets on Sunday night in Perth, putting an end to Team India’s raging T20 World Cup performance. Indian team suffered their first defeat of the competition as a result, and they also lost first place in the Group 2 points standings.

The defeat also created the possibility that Rohit Sharma’s men may not advance to the semifinals at all. Shahid Afridi, a former captain of Pakistan, made a bold prediction about the outcome of Pakistan’s arch-rivals in Australia after the loss. 

In an interview with Samaa TV, Afridi was questioned about whether or not he still considered India to be one of the strongest teams in this year’s World Cup along with New Zealand and England, two potential semifinalist teams from Group 1.

India Have A Balanced Team: Shahid Afridi

The legendary all-rounder refuted the claim, claiming that Men in Blue have never been able to put on impressive performances away from home. 

“India jis tarah upar jaa rahi hai, ahista ahista, yeh kuch bhi kar sakti hai. Mere khayal main as such India se bahar nikal kar koi as such bohot achhi koi record ya performances nehi hai. Bare matches main jis tarah se upr jaate rahenge, let’s see, abhi baaki hai, but agar unlogo ki bowling aur batting ki baat ki jaye then no doubt achhi team hai, balanced team hai (The way India are progressing in the competition anything can happen. It’s not that they have a very good record or performances outside India. Let’s see, but they do have a balanced team.),” he said.  

India finished as runners-up in 2014 and semifinalist in 2016 at the T20 World Cup after struggling to get past the quarterfinals in three consecutive tournaments following their championship victory in 2007. However, they had a disappointing campaign in the UAE last year and were eliminated at the group stage.

India had recovered well, winning their first two games against Pakistan and the Netherlands, but on a bumpy Perth pitch and up against a powerful pace attack from South Africa, they struggled to set a target of 134, which the Proteas knocked down with two balls remaining.

On Wednesday, Rohit’s men will play Bangladesh in their fourth T20 World Cup match. 

Also Read:IND vs BAN: Chetan Sharma Opines On Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma’s Future For The 2024 T20 World Cup