Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja criticized India’s performance against Pakistan in a recent T20 World Cup Group A match, stating that India did Pakistan a favor by playing poorly. Raja highlighted that India’s early batting performance had set a favorable course for a total beyond Pakistan’s reach. However, a collapse in the latter half of India’s innings, coupled with some good bowling from Pakistan, allowed the Babar Azam-led team to make a comeback. Despite India being bowled out for 119, their bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, restricted Pakistan to 113/6, ensuring a victory. Raja identified Mohammad Rizwan’s wicket as the turning point of the match, emphasizing the lack of game awareness and positive intent from the Pakistani side. He mentioned that Pakistan’s lower-middle order failed to capitalize on the situation and highlighted a tendency among Pakistani players to freeze under pressure. Raja lamented Pakistan’s missed opportunity to secure a win against India and emphasized the need for better temperament and decision-making in pressure situations.
