'It never seemed as if India turned up' - Shoaib Akhtar blasts Virat Kohli and his men after loss to NZ

New Zealand dished out a thrashing to the Indian side on 31st October 2021. Kane Williamson and his men beat India with 8 wickets and 33 balls to spare in Dubai.

And now, former Pakistan cricket legend Shoaib Akhtar has lambasted the Indian side for their poor performance against the Kiwis. Akhtar questioned India’s move to open with Ishan Kishan and demote Rohit Sharma to the No.3 slot.

The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ also opined that Hardik Pandya should have bowled a lot earlier as well. Akhtar also added that the Indian side looked ‘lost’ out in the middle.

“I don’t know with what mindset and attitude they were playing. Why did Rohit bat at 3, why did they open with Ishan Kishan? Hardik Pandya, bowling pretty late in the innings, should’ve bowled earlier. I have no idea whatsoever about India’s gameplan. It was a completely lost Indian squad,” said Shoaib Akhtar while speaking on his YouTube channel.

After all the hype I knew India would struggle: Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar also said that India failed to turn up for the match against the Kiwis. The 46-year-old also added that he knew that the Indian side will struggle after all the hype that was created by the Indian media ahead of the tournament.

“It never seemed as if India turned up for this game or not. Average performance by team India. After all the hype and pressure from the Indian media, I knew that the team would struggle. Again, the team proved to be a weak bowling side,” said Akhtar.

Akhtar even stated that the encounter against Afghanistan can turn out to be a misfortune for Virat Kohli and his men. Adding that India should win against Afghanistan if they want to keep their respect intact, Akhtar concluded by stating that things are not looking good for the Indian side right now.

“The match against Afghanistan can be a misfortune for India. If India wants to keep their respect intact, they will have to somehow win the match against Afghanistan. What I can understand right now, is that, if Afghanistan wins the toss and elects to bowl first, it will be a major problem for team India.

That match is in Abu Dhabi, and again, the ball stops on the surface there. Even if India score 150 or 170, Afghanistan will not spare them. It is not looking good for India right now,” concluded Shoaib Akhtar.