Former India coach Ravi Shastri has fired back at ex-England captain Michael Vaughan over his comments suggesting that the T20 World Cup scheduling favored India. Vaughan had implied that the organizers had shown partiality towards India during the recently concluded 2024 T20 World Cup, citing the semifinal performance of Afghanistan against South Africa as an example.
Vaughan’s criticism stemmed from Afghanistan’s disappointing T20 World Cup semifinal show, where they were bowled out for just 56 runs against South Africa. This match followed a historic performance by Afghanistan, where they reached their first-ever semifinal in an ICC tournament. Vaughan took to social media to express his discontent, noting that Afghanistan faced a flight delay while travelling to Trinidad, which left them with limited time to practice and acclimate to the new conditions.
“So Afghanistan qualified for the WC semi, winning in St Vincent on Monday night .. 4 hr flight delay on Tues to Trinidad so no time to practice or get accustomed to a new venue .. utter lack of respect to players, I am afraid,” Vaughan tweeted. “Surely this semi should have been the Guyana one .. but because the whole event is geared towards India it’s so unfair on others .. #T20IWorldCup.”
In response, Shastri dismissed Vaughan’s claims, emphasizing the strength and achievements of the Indian team. The former India coach urged Vaughan to concentrate on England’s performance instead of making baseless accusations about the tournament’s scheduling.
“Michael can say what he wants. Nobody in India cares. Let him sort out the England team first. He should give advice on what happened to the England team in the semifinal. India are used to lifting Cups. I know England have won twice, but India have won four times. I don’t think Michael’s lifted a Cup ever. So think twice. He is a colleague of mine, but that’s my answer to him,” Ravi Shastri said while speaking to Times Now.
Shastri also brushed aside the controversy surrounding Suryakumar Yadav’s catch in the last over of the T20 World Cup final against South Africa. Addressing Vaughan’s remarks, Shastri said, “Sour grapes. And go and check the record books after five years. The name India will be engraved on it.” With this strong rebuttal, Shastri has clearly shown his disdain for Vaughan’s comments, standing firm in defence of the Indian team and the tournament’s organizers.
