Former England captain Michael Vaughan has described the Indian team as the world’s most ‘underachieving’ team that ‘doesn’t win anything’ in International cricket over the last few years after the humiliating loss against Proteas and claimed that Team India had failed to justify the talent and resources at their disposal by failing to win major championships for several years.
The Men in Blue were outplayed in three days at Centurion’s SuperSport Park, which was seen as their worst red-ball performance in recent memory, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah returned to the team after the World Cup final loss against Australia. The Proteas outperformed the Indians in every aspect of the game.
Speaking on Fox Sports, Michael Vaughan’s comments followed India’s heavy innings and 32-run defeat to South Africa in the Boxing Day Test at Centurion. The loss to South Africa ended a disappointing year for the Indian team, which also included defeats in the World Test Championship (WTC) and the ODI World Cup finals.
“Here’s a question for you – India, in terms of cricket, are they one of the most under-achieving sports teams in the world?”
“With all the talent that they have… I think they are, yeah. Well, they don’t win anything. When was the last time they won something? With all the talent they have, all the skillsets… they won here (Australia) twice, magnificent but the last few World Cups, been nowhere, T20 World Cups, nowhere.
“You go so South Africa, who are, you know, useful in Test match cricket and to produce a performance like that… I mean, with all the talent they have, and the resources they have, I don’t think they win anything,” Michael Vaughan said.
Despite the absence of their captain Temba Bavuma, the South African pacers bowled well in Centurion’s conditions, and their batting lineup performed admirably on a field that did not allow for easy runs. The team led by Rohit Sharma was defeated by an innings and 32 runs, going down without a fight in the match.
Some former Indian players criticized Rohit Sharma’s captaincy and batting performance in the match. They were disappointed to find a lack of liveliness in the field. This was the first of a two-match Test series, and South Africa’s victory extended their unbeaten streak over India in the home Test series.
The Indian cricket team’s next series will be a five-match home series against England beginning on January 25.