Beating India in 2021 hurt us: Yousuf blames historic win on Pakistan’s cricket crisis
Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has offered a bizarre explanation for the side’s current cricket crisis, tracing it back to one of the biggest victories in their history. Yousuf believes Pakistan’s 10-wicket win over India at the 2021 Men’s World T20 in Dubai was one of the factors behind the team’s current struggles.
In his opinion, after the victory, some players began to feel that they had achieved something big, while the captaincy race also created a division in the dressing room. Babar Azam scored an unbeaten 68 and Mohammad Rizwan scored 79 but did not win Pakistan were chasing 152 without losing a wicket. It was their first World Cup victory over India and one of the most famous nights in Pakistan cricket. Five years later, however, Yousuf sees this victory differently.
“That match we won against India in 2021 hurt us a lot. Because after that win, the players started thinking they had achieved something big. They couldn’t understand what to do next,” Yousuf said in an interview with Samaa TV.
He said success should be followed by more focus and humility, but he felt some players had started to behave differently.
“When you are performing well, you should remain humble. If you keep your collar up and be disrespectful, problems will come. And a lot of them have arrived in Pakistan cricket.”
EVERYONE TRIED TO BECOME A CAPTAIN
Yousuf also identified the Pakistan captaincy battle as another issue affecting the team.
“Everyone in the team was trying to become the captain of the Pakistan team. The aftermath of Pakistan cricket is still hurting,” he said.
Pakistan have gone through a turbulent period since that famous win, with changes in captains, coaches and support staff failing to bring consistency.
Yousuf pointed to the team’s performances in the ODI and T20 World Cup, Asia Cup and Champions Trophy over the past four to five years as proof of their struggles.
“There was terrible cricket. PCB supported you all the time. So many coaches came and went, so many things changed just to try to help the Pakistan team. But no player stood up and took responsibility,” he said.
YOUSUF SUPPORTS PCB OVERHAUL
Yousuf also supported the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to make major changes following the team’s latest setbacks.
Pakistan lost their first Test against England at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs before suffering another heavy defeat at Lord’s, going down by 194 runs.
The PCB responded by sending home seven players and bringing in seven substitutes, including five uncapped players. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and his assistant Umar Gul were also removed.
Pakistan’s poor run extended beyond the England series. They were beaten 2-0 by Bangladesh earlier this year and suffered the same scoreline against them at home in 2024.
Yousuf believes the board had no choice but to take drastic measures after years of poor results.
“Ultimately the PCB had to take the step it did. I support what the PCB has done,” he said.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
06 Sep 2026 19:00 IST