Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s eerie prediction on the possibility of Pakistan breaking their World Cup jinx against India has resurfaced online after the two teams clashed in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup in UAE on October 24.
The former captain, who is currently the mentor of the Indian cricket team, had said Pakistan could turn the tables against India at some point of time despite the latter’s stellar record of 11-0 in world cups.
“Maybe we will lose today, maybe after 20 years or maybe after 50 years. But you know this can’t happen that you’ll always keep winning,” Dhoni had said during a press conference in the 2016 T20 World Cup.
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India, then led by Dhoni, had beaten Pakistan by six wickets in the tournament. And Dhoni’s prediction came true on Sunday when Pakistan beat India for the first time ever in the Twenty20 World Cup by 10 wickets. Pakistan opener Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan smashed unbeaten half-centuries as Pakistan beat India for the first time during their 13 encounters in World Cup events. It was also India’s first-ever ten-wicket loss in T20Is.
Fans completely agreed with Dhoni’s words of caution against complacency, in sync with cricket’s reputation of being a “game of uncertainties.”
“This is why Dhoni is one of the few cricketers loved in Pakistan,” a fan from the country wrote on Twitter.
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In a gesture appreciated by fans from both the countries, Dhoni also was seen imparting wisdom to Pakistan players such as Azam and Imad Wasim after their victory over India.
Following the loss against Pakistan, India captain Virat Kohli admitted his team had been outplayed in their opening match of the T20 World Cup. “We didn’t execute properly,” said Kohli whose half-century helped India post a decent total after early losses. “Credit where it’s due and Pakistan outplayed us today. They started brilliantly with the ball, and three wickets for 31 runs was not a good start.”
