‘Rich kid who invites poor kids to beat them’ – Shoaib Akhtar reacts to India’s T20 World Cup victory

Legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar delivered a humorous reaction to India’s commanding victory in the T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand. India outclassed the Black Caps by 96 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, sealing their third T20 World Cup title in dominant fashion.

India saved their best performance for the final, producing a clinical display with both bat and ball. Sanju Samson’s 89-run knock, along with half-centuries from Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, powered India to a massive total of 255. Later, Jasprit Bumrah starred with the ball, claiming four wickets as New Zealand were bowled out for 159.

Reacting to the result, Akhtar jokingly compared India’s dominance to that of a spoilt rich brat inviting the poor to play cricket only to defeat them. The former Pakistani cricketer, popularly known as the ‘Rawalpindi Express’, also credited India’s strong domestic structure and merit-based selection process for their sustained success on the global stage.

“India ne koshish ki, jaise amir bacha nahi hota mohalle me, jo saare gareeb bacho ko bula leta hai, ‘aao cricket khele’. Jeetna sirf maine hai. India bhi wahi kar raha hai humare saath. 8 teams me se 4 reh gayi hai, unko hara ke kehta hai, lo me jeet gaya (It’s just like a case of a rich kid in society who invites all the poor kids for a game of cricket just to beat them. It’s just like that, only four teams are competitive in today’s day and age, and India keeps winning),” Akhtar said on Game On Hai.

“It is the testament of their policies, system and merit. There could have been a case where money was not utilised properly. Gautam Gambhir took the risk and brought Sanju Samson into the mix. Abhishek Sharma is young and brash; he needs to learn a lot. But Samson is very mature,” Akhtar concluded.

With the win, skipper Suryakumar Yadav joined an elite list of Indian captains, Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni, and Rohit Sharma, who have led India to World Cup triumphs. The Men in Blue enjoyed an impressive campaign, suffering just one defeat throughout their campaign.