"The Indian media had even decided on the finalists" - Saeed Ajmal explains Team India's downfall in the 2021 T20 World Cup
Former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal feels India's overconfidence has massively let them down in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Ajmal also opined that that Indian media had also become arrogant in their quest to see the Men in Blue win the competition.
Contrary to early predictions, India have hardly fulfilled expectations in the ongoingT20 World Cup. Their campaign kickstarted with a ten-wicket defeat to Pakistan, which was followed by another loss to New Zealand. Despite a 66-run victory over Afghanistan, Virat Kohli and Co. are staring at an early exit from the tournament.
.@ImRo45 scored a fantastic 7⃣4⃣ to set up a 6⃣6⃣-run for #TeamIndia & won the Man of the Match award. 👏 🔝
#INDvAFG #T20WorldCup
Scorecard ▶️ bit.ly/IndvAfg-T20WC https://t.co/fdBPkkEnKQ
Saeed Ajmal feels the Indian media's overconfidence has affected the team's chances in the World Cup. The 44-year-old told Cricket Pakistan in an exclusive interview:
"India were very overconfident, their media was overconfident. Their media had even decided on the finalists."
Pakistan's ten-wicket hammering of India had already served Virat Kohli and his men a reality check. After two consecutive failures, their top-order finally came to the party against Afghanistan as Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul made fifties. The duo's onslaught was decisive in India's 66-run win after setting Afghanistan 211 to chase.
"You can't do much by staying in a hotel room alone for six months" - Saeed Ajmal
Saeed Ajmal, though, was full of support for Jasprit Bumrah, who recently spoke about the fatigue caused by the bio-secure bubble. The former off-spinner empathized with the players, who have to endure so much amid uncertain times.
"More than cricket, the bio-secure bubble is tough. You can't do much by staying in a hotel room alone for six months. Sportspersons need some outings. Although watching cricket is easy, it takes a lot out of the players out there; hence, they need relaxation. Sportspersons have to go out and relax to refresh themselves but that can't happen currently."
While Pakistan have officially sealed a semi-final spot, India are clinging on by a thread. Kohli and co. need a number of results to go their way to reach the next stage of the tournament.