Mohammad Kaif faced criticism for saying that even though Australia won the 2023 ODI World Cup, India looked like the strongest team on paper. He repeated a similar comment, but this time he praised Australia after their 79-run win over India in the ICC U-19 World Cup final on February 11.
India’s undefeated streak in the U-19 World Cup concluded with a heartbreaking defeat to Australia in the final, mirroring the experience of the senior team in the previous year.
In response to Australia’s win, Mohammad Kaif posted on the microblogging platform X:
“At u-19 level team results don’t matter much. Future stars learn lesson that help them in long journey.. Well played India. This time have to say Australia good on pitch, and on paper.”
India fell short in their pursuit of Australia’s 254-run target in the ICC U-19 World Cup final, experiencing a batting collapse and getting dismissed for a mere 174 runs.
Mohammad Kaif’s comments following the conclusion of the 2023 ODI World Cup final
Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, the Indian team had a dominant performance in the 2023 World Cup, reaching the final with an impressive 10-match winning streak. Despite this, their success didn’t translate in the summit clash as they faced a six-wicket defeat to Australia.
In an interview with Star Sports after the match, Mohammad Kaif expressed his opinion that the World Cup was not won by the best team.
“Congratulations to Australia but I am not ready to accept that the best team won the World Cup. This Indian team has been the best side. They would win so many times playing against the same Australian team, even though they lost today. It was one of those bad day, this happens sometimes,” he said.
Australia successfully pursued the 241-run target with a comfortable six-wicket victory, thanks to opener Travis Head’s outstanding 137-run innings.
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