'Hamaari bowling India se kaafi better hai, aise perform nahi karenge': Inzamam's savage remark ahead of T20 WC final

Inzamam-ul-Haq had a brutal remark on the Indian team after the side faced a semi-final exit in the T20 World Cup, losing to England by 10 wickets in Adelaide.

Pakistan will face England in the titular clash of the T20 World Cup on Sunday. Both sides will be eyeing their second title in the tournament; while Pakistan lifted their only trophy in the World Cup in 2009, England won the title a year later. Both sides had registered convincing victories in their respective semi-final matches, with England stunning the cricket fraternity, thrashing favourites India by 10 wickets in Adelaide.

Inzamam-ul-Haq; Team India players after the England defeat (AP)

Jos Buttler (80*) and Alex Hales (86*) stitched a record unbeaten 170-run stand as England chased down a 169-run target with 24 balls to spare on Thursday. Ahead of the final showdown at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, however, former Pakistan batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq had a word of caution for the English batters; the ex-Pakistan skipper also took a dig at Indian bowlers as he talked about the final on Sunday.

“Jiss time bhi koi bada match aata hai, India ko problem aati hai. Ye Asia Cup se hi dekh raha hu. Buttler aur Hales ne bilkul outstanding performance di hai. Lekin hamaari bowling India ki performance se bohot better hain, udhar nahi iss tarah ki performance denge. (India are under pressure in big games, I've been seeing this since the Asia Cup. Jos Buttler and Alex Hales played brilliantly, but our bowling is quite better than India, they won't perform like this),” Inzamam said in a press conference video posted by Pakistan's 24 News HD.

Buttler and Hales smashed 63 runs in the Powerplay during the 169-run chase against India, smashing the Indian bowlers all around the park. While Hales reached his half-century in merely 29 deliveries, Buttler played the anchor role as the innings progressed, eventually reaching his fifty-run mark in the 13th over of the run-chase.

The loss in the semi-final extends India's frustrating wait for an ICC title; the last time men in blue lifted the trophy in an ICC tournament was in 2013 when a MS Dhoni-led side defeated England in the final of the Champions Trophy. Since then, India have faced defeats in the knock-out matches of all ICC tournaments bar the 2021 T20 World Cup, where the side endured a group stage exit.