‘Their policy and system won’ – Legendary Pakistan pacer hails BCCI, Gautam Gambhir for India’s dominance

After India’s T20 World Cup 2026 triumph against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on March 8, they are being hailed all across the globe. Now, Pakistan’s iconic pacer Shoaib Akhtar has joined the list, lauding the Indian team for their brilliant effort on the field as they cliched the T20 World Cup at home.

It has been a dominant phase for team India especially in the white-ball cricket for the last 2-3 years. The Men in Blue have come out victorious in all of the last three ICC white-ball events, namely T20 World Cup 2024, Champions Trophy 2025, and the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026. The recent victory came after the retirements of Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, which shows how well the transition has been handled by the current management, headed by coach Gautam Gambhir.

Akhtar saluted the manner in which Indian cricket is run and how well the cricketing circle functions in India compared to Pakistan.

“I will say a couple of things about India. First, their policy won. Then the system won. Most importantly, their management won. It was also possible that money would not have been spent in the right places. The kids who played Ranji Trophy weren’t earning. Today, Gautam Gambhir fought everyone. He gave chances to two youngsters and said he would back them. There was only one kid, Sanju Samson. Despite all odds, he dropped someone and took a big risk without compromise,” Akhtar said during a Pakistani chat show.

Akhtar, famously known as the Rawalpindi Express, further expressed his views on the presence MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma at the ultimate showdown between India and New Zealand and how well they are treated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). 

“What a beauty. Today they (former captains Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni) are standing as India celebrates. Congratulations to India. You pick on merit, you will celebrate. You’ve got your second World Cup prize — take it today,” he concluded.