Did Pakistan’s 10-Wicket Win Over India Mark the Start of Their Downfall?

Pakistan batting great Mohammad Yousuf believes the team’s historic 10-wicket victory over India at the 2021 T20 World Cup may have done more harm than good to Pakistan cricket. According to the former batter, the emphatic win marked the beginning of a gradual decline in the country’s cricketing fortunes.

Pakistan’s victory over India at the 2021 T20 World Cup was their first win over their arch-rivals across the ODI and T20 World Cups. In the 221 international matches that followed, Pakistan won 115 and lost 97. Among ICC Full Members, their win ratio during this period ranks fifth.

India, meanwhile, played 272 international matches during the same period, winning 181 and losing just 72. Their win ratio was the best among the Full Member nations.

Yousuf believes the aftermath of that famous victory played a significant role in Pakistan’s current cricketing problems. Speaking to Samaa TV, the former Pakistan batter said the players began to lose their direction after the 10-wicket triumph.

According to Yousuf, the victory made some players feel that they had already achieved something major. However, they failed to understand what needed to be done next to maintain their progress and continue improving.

He also stressed the importance of humility when a player or team is performing well. Yousuf warned that arrogance and disrespect towards others can eventually create serious problems, adding that Pakistan cricket has witnessed too many such instances.

For Yousuf, the 10-wicket win over India brought Pakistan enormous confidence—but it may also have created a sense of complacency that had a damaging impact on the team in the years that followed.