Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir could not help but laugh following India’s defeat in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s match against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. Ahead of the crucial tie in Ahmedabad, Amir rattled Indian fans by predicting that the defending champions won’t reach the semi-finals, as South Africa and the West Indies would make it to the last four, ahead of India. This prediction led to Amir facing significant trolling on social media, as Indian fans did not take kindly to his statement.
However, the Suryakumar Yadav-led team received a jolt out of the blue on Sunday after South Africa hammered the hosts by 76 runs. Apart from the loss, India’s net run rate also took a severe hit and the race for the semi-final has become all the more tougher, for the side that entered the tournament as clear-cut favourites.
After the match between India and South Africa had ended, Amir appeared on a Pakistani channel for the post-game debate, and it was then that he burst out laughing when called an “astrologer” by the anchor. The fans were also reminded of Amir’s initial remark, where he called the India opening batter Abhishek Sharma a “slogger”, who doesn’t have another gear in his batting.
The ‘Haarna Mana Hai’ programme started off with the anchor introducing Amir, saying, “The thing that our Pakistani team is not able to do, our panellists are doing by sitting in the studio in Lahore. Mohammad Amir first called Abhishek Sharma a slogger, and since then, Abhishek has not been able to find form in the tournament.”
“He then said India won’t play the semi-finals, and it seems that India is listening to what Amir stated. Let’s welcome astrologer, cricketer and left-arm pacer, Mohammad Amir,” he added.
Hearing this introduction, Amir cracked up, saying, “Kya bana diya hai mujhe? Allah maaf kare (What have you turned me into?).”
India’s horror show with the bat
India folded up for 111 in the chase of 188, losing the match by 76 runs. Ishan Kishan lost his wicket for a duck in the opening over after being dismissed by Aiden Markram. Tilak Varma went back soon after.
Abhishek did manage to open his account, but his painful stay ended when he was sent back to the dugout by Marco Jansen. No batter was able to stay at the crease for a long haul, and only Shivam Dube added some sense of respectability to the Indian proceedings.
Had Dube not scored 42, India wouldn’t have even gone past the 100-run mark. Earlier, South Africa posted 187/7 in 20 overs owing to a 35-ball 63 by David Miller. The loss of the early three wickets did not become any sort of hindrance for the Proteas as Miller and Dewald Brevis put on 97 runs for the fourth wicket.
India will face Zimbabwe next on Thursday, February 26, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
