'Zyada Overconfidence Aapko...': Shahid Afridi Critical of India's Batting in World Cup Final

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi thinks that the shots India top-order batters got out to during the world cup final against Australia could be a result of the overconfidence which may have creeped into their mindset following a stunning unbeaten streak.

Under Rohit Sharma, India stormed into the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup by winning 10 matches in a row but were outdone by Australia in the title clash in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

During a live discussion on Sama TV when the India innings was underway at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Afridi rejected the possibility of the home team crumbling to pressure and instead suggested that overconfidence may have impacted their batting display.

“International cricket is all about how to handle pressure. Inko (Indian players) awareness hai. Jub aap continue game jeet rahe ho toh aap overconfidence bhi bohot zyada ho jate haim toh woh cheez aapko marwa deti hai. (International cricket is all about how to handle pressure. They’ve the awareness of it. When you keep winning games continuously, overconfidence can creep in which can prove fatal at times,” Afridi said.

After being put in to bat first, India lost three wickets inside the first 10 overs including that of opener Shubman Gill, captain Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer that put them under pressure.

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul led the recovery but failed to upped the scoring rate with India going through a phase when they didn’t hit a single boundary for 97 deliveries.

Eventually, India were bowled out for 240 in 50 overs with Rahul and Kohli hitting half-centuries.

Australia wobbled and lost three early wickets as well but they kept on scoring at a good pace and opener Travis Head struck a quick century to put them on course for a six-wicket win.

The defeat has extended India’s wait for an ICC trophy having last won one in 2013 when MS Dhoni-led side won the Champions Trophy in England.