'They lost crunch matches, semifinal and fail to qualify': Star all-rounder mocks Team India

In a bizarre claim, former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez said that Team India is always the favourites in any tournament but India has failed to perform well in ICC events.

It may be recalled that under Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy India had won three ICC tournaments within seven years - 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. But Team India has failed to win another ICC trophy after Dhoni stepped down as skipper. The closet India had reached winning an ICC trophy was in 2017 Champions Trophy and 2021 World Test Championship.

Speaking to SportsTak, Hafeez said, “Talking about the last 10-12 years, whichever country they (India) go to play in, they become the favourites. No one can beat India in a bilateral series. So far, I think their success rate has been very high but when it comes to ICC tournaments they fail to perform.”

 “You cannot compare playing domestic cricket with international cricket. In the same manner, you cannot compare the pressure in playing a bilateral series with knockouts of an ICC tournament. We have seen in the recent past that India hasn’t been able to handle the pressure. They lost crunch matches, semifinal and even couldn’t qualify,” he added.

According to Hafeez, India’s failure to make it count in ICC events is a "pinching point".

“They lost the 2017 Champions trophy. I believe it’s a pinching point for India to prove again by performing well in an ICC event," Hafeez said.