India’s big victory in the 2026 T20 World Cup final led to strong reactions around the world, especially in Pakistan. Former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar made a controversial comment, saying India’s dominance has “ruined cricket.” In the final, India comfortably defeated New Zealand by 96 runs at Narendra Modi Stadium and the win gave India their third T20 World Cup title. Many cricket experts praised India for their excellent performance, but Akhtar shared a different view during the Tapmad show Game On Hai.
He compared India to a wealthy child controlling a neighborhood cricket match. According to him, it is like a rich kid inviting poorer children to play and deciding the rules. He suggested that India chooses a small group of teams, competes among them and then claims victory, which he believes has harmed the spirit of the game.
‘It’s like when there’s one rich kid in a neighbourhood who calls all the poor kids and says, ‘Come, let’s play cricket.’
That’s exactly what India is doing with us. Out of eight teams, they keep four, and out of those four they call three again and move forward, and then they say, ‘See, I’ve won.’ They have ruined cricket entirely,” Akhtar said.
Interestingly, Akhtar had a different opinion before the final. He said India were the favourites to win but hoped New Zealand would take the title “for the sake of cricket.” He also mentioned that India might feel the pressure of expectations from their large population. Even so, he believed India still had the best chance to win.
“I feel New Zealand might be bogged down in front of India, but India also have the pressure of 1.5 billion people. They have already lost a match in the World Cup final to Australia in Ahmedabad. I see India as the winner out of all this, but for cricket’s sake, it’s high time New Zealand won this World Cup,” he had said earlier.
Despite his criticism, Akhtar acknowledged one key reason behind India’s success and praised head coach Gautam Gambhir for standing by his players during difficult times. Akhtar said that such trust and support from a coach can help a team perform better in big tournaments.
By beating New Zealand in Ahmedabad, India’s victory created history, as they became the first team to successfully defend the Men’s T20 World Cup title, the first to win the tournament three times and the first to lift the trophy on home soil.
