Mohammad Kaif said that had Hardik Pandya played the 2023 World Cup final, India would have beaten Australia. Kaif made the comments while questioning Australia’s dominance after the Aussies crashed out of the T20 World Cup 2026.
India missed Hardik’s services in that 2023 final after he was ruled out due to an ankle injury sustained against Bangladesh. Despite winning nine matches on the trot, India fell short in the final, losing by six wickets in front of a packed Narendra Modi Stadium. Australia successfully chased 241 with seven overs to spare, thanks largely to Travis Head’s explosive 137.
Since then, Australia have struggled in global tournaments. Kaif remarked that while Australia were once called mighty, their performances since the 2023 World Cup victory no longer justify that label.
Kaif wrote, “Mighty Aussies, they were called after winning the 2023 50-overs World Cup. After that they had a sharp fall. 2024 World T20, 2025 Champions Trophy, 2025 World Test Championship – they were not Mighty. If Hardik Pandya had played the Ahmedabad final in 2023, the Aussies would have lost there too.”
AUSTRALIA KEEP STRUGGLING
With their T20 World Cup exit, Australia’s recent form in ICC events has been inconsistent, particularly over the past two and a half years. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, they failed to reach the semifinals following a shock loss to Afghanistan. During the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, Australia were eliminated in the semifinals, falling to India.
In the 2023–25 World Test Championship, they finished second with a points percentage of 67.54, winning 13 of 19 Tests to reach the final at Lord’s. However, they lost the final to South Africa, ending their decade-long unbeaten streak in major ICC finals.
HOW DID AUSTRALIA PERFORM IN T20 WC 2026?
Australia’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign ended in disappointment as the 2021 champions were eliminated at the group stage. They managed only one win — a 67-run victory over Ireland — but suffered a shocking 23-run defeat to Zimbabwe in Colombo, being bowled out for 146 while chasing 169.
Blessing Muzarabani’s four-wicket haul stunned the former champions. Australia then lost to co-hosts Sri Lanka by eight wickets, with Pathum Nissanka’s unbeaten century sealing the win. A rain-affected washout in the Ireland vs Zimbabwe match confirmed Australia could not advance to the Super 8s, marking their earliest World Cup exit since 2009.
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