'India are most underachieving sports team in world': Vaughan again launches tirade against India

Michael Vaughan has called the Indian cricket team of today one of the world's most "underachieving sports teams" and has voiced his dismay at Men in Blue's repeated setbacks despite their considerable talent. He specifically brought up India's recent defeat by an innings and 32 runs in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa.

3 things you need to know

• Team India last won an ICC title in 2013 
• India lost to Australia in the final of ODI World Cup 2023
• India also lost the WTC final to Australia in 2023

Michael Vaughan calls India ‘most underachieving sports team in the world’

Speaking about the team's history, Vaughan questioned the absence of significant successes, pointing out that they had last won the ICC Trophy in 2013 and had lost in the 2023 World Cup final after a 10-game winning streak. India has not succeeded in any of its seven limited-overs global tournament semifinal appearances, nor in its two appearances in the World Test Championship finals (2021 and 2023).

Over a conversation with former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh, Michael Vaughan brought up the question of whether India is among the world's most underachieving sporting teams. Waugh redirected the question at Vaughan, who said that even though the squad has won two-Test series in Australia, they have not fared well in ICC events.

"They haven’t won much in recent times. I think they are [an underachieving side]. They don’t win anything. When was the last time they won something? With all the talent they have, all the skill-set. They’ve won in Australia twice [Test series in 2018/19 and 2020/21]. Magnificent, but the last few World Cups, been nowhere, in the last few T20 World Cups, been nowhere," Michael Vaughan said. 

IND vs SA: Can India turn around their performance?

In addition to their setback in the ODI World Cup final against Australia in November, India faced defeat in the initial Test match against South Africa, missing the opportunity to break their streak of not winning a Test series in the country.