New Delhi: Former India spin bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin came down heavily on Pakistan after their comprehensive defeat of the Men in Blue in the 2026 T20 World Cup, describing the bowling as the turning point of the match.
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India registered a crushing 61-run win in Colombo, with Ashwin crediting Pakistan’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss, giving India a decisive advantage on a pitch that had been challenging to chase throughout the match.
“Where did they win and lose the plot? Pakistan lost the game because we saw the match between Australia and Zimbabwe where they chose to bowl first after winning the toss. It was difficult for Australia to score 170 runs. When we see IPL matches, it is easy for the team to win if they need to score 100 runs in the last 10 overs. But that will not happen in the World Cup. In Prema You can’t chase 100 in 10 overs at Dasa Stadium. The way Pakistan handled the pressure, India was 100 times better in that regard, to be honest, Pakistan got better tactically with Salman Agha and Mike Hesson, but the way they brought in Shaheen Afridi after Aga came on for the first time was a terrible mistake.”
Ashwin also raised questions about Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha’s use of bowlers in the powerplay, especially the early introduction of Shaheen Afridi instead of exploring alternative matchups.
“You took away the wicket of Abhishek Sharma, he was leaking left, right and middle. We noticed in the preview that Ishan Kishan How dangerous Kishan is against the left-arm seam. I feel like cricketers need to explain to them, ‘It’s your opponent’. When you say Ishan is on the left-arm seam, he’s taking the ball. I’m not saying don’t bowl him the left-arm seam, but they have to do something different. If Shaheen gets hit hard, but he doesn’t, it should be Syam Ayub.”
He further criticized Pakistan for failing to regain control in the death overs and pointed out how Afridi’s return gave India the lead.
“The fast bowlers released the pressure. India scored 159 after 19 overs and Afridi came on again and again he leaked runs. Afridi conceded 16 runs in the last over,” he added.
India will conclude its league phase against Netherlands in Ahmedabad on Wednesday before turning its attention to the Super Eights.
