Karachi, March 9 India's historic second consecutive World T20 Cup title has earned appreciation and grudging praise from former Pakistani stalwarts, players, and critics.
Former Test captain and batting great Javed Miandad said that any team that could achieve a total of 250 or more in the semi-final and final deserved to be champions.
India posted a massive score of 255 for five in the final against New Zealand, winning by a comfortable 96-run margin on Sunday night in Ahmedabad.
"Their team (India) is now reaping the benefits of a strong, process-driven cricket structure," Miandad said.
"If you look at the talent they are producing now, it is because of their strong structure. They have plenty of batsmen, spinners, and fast bowlers, and their young players are result-oriented and have a good understanding of the game," he added.
The former great noted that when a winning culture and mentality are established in a team's dressing room, it always leads to title wins, which is why India also won the Champions Trophy last year.
"We had this environment in our dressing room, and we won frequently," he said.
Former captain Rashid Latif said that India's triumph was not surprising because their players had become accustomed to performing under pressure.
"When you regularly reach the finals of major events, players also get used to winning," he said.
He also said that the continuity and stability in the Indian cricket team were also essential reasons for their success, unlike Pakistan, where frequent changes and impatience have caused a host of problems.
Cricket host, analyst, and writer, Dr. Nauman Niaz said that India's dominant performance in the final was an eye-opener, showing how well their players executed their roles and how well they had adapted to the changes in modern T20 cricket.
"Their success is based on a perfect blend of young, talented players and experienced seniors, like Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, and Hardik Pandya, who performed so well in the final," Niaz said.
Former Test pacer Sikander Bakht said that until the prevailing culture of likes, dislikes, and making incorrect selection and captaincy decisions ends, the Pakistan team will continue to struggle against big teams in major events.
"We must stop making excuses for our failures and make the right decisions."
Former Test batsman and chief selector Muhammad Wasim, who was the head coach of the Pakistan women's team until last year, said that until everyone in Pakistan accepts India's superiority as a team, nothing will change.
"We generally try to find faults and create conspiracy theories whenever we lose to India or when they do well in major events. We need to stop that and accept that they are a top team, and we must try to improve ourselves by learning from our mistakes," Wasim said.
Former head coach Mohsin Khan said that because the Indian cricket board was paying so much attention to red ball and Test cricket, they were producing players who come through the grind.
"Plus, I don't see any insecurity among the Indian players. Maybe because their Board takes good care of them financially," Khan said.
