India vs Australia: ‘I rubbed my eyes and noticed rigorously,’ Shoaib Akhtar lashes out at India’s ‘disgraceful’, ‘horrible’ batting
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Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has come down hard at India’s abysmal batting performance against Australia, calling it ‘disgraceful’ and ‘terrible’. India, in their second innings, registered their lowest-ever total in a Test match as they folded for 36/9 with Mohammed Shami retired hurt. Australia, needing 90 to win, won the match by eight wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Akhtar revealed how at first, he could not believe that India had posted such a low total and it was only after realising that it in fact was 36/9.
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“I woke up and the morning and switched on the TV. Could not see the match yesterday night. I saw India had put 369 on the board. Then I rubbed my eyes and saw carefully, I saw it’s 36 and there is slash before 9 and one is retired hurt. Embarrassing loss. Embarrassing batting. The mighty Indian batting came crumbling down,” Akhtar said on his YouTube channel
Akhtar jokingly thanked India for overtaking Pakistan’s lowest total in Tests, which is 49 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2013. Pakistan have also registered a couple of more low scores – of 53 and 59 – against Australia, but what shocked Akhtar the most was seeing the mighty Indian batting line-up falling like a pack of cards.
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“They broke our record also. 36 all out! This is disgraceful performance, it’s terrible. But happiest that they broke our (Pakistan’s) record. Anyways, this happens in cricket. Bare it and bare the criticism, this is going to happen to you now. So, mighty India come crumbling down. This is bad news,” Akhtar said.
“When we were all out for 53, we faced Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee… it was a long and sturdy bowling line-up. Be thankful that isn’t the kind of bowling batting line-ups are facing.”
