When Pakistan won the toss against India, they held the match in their own hands – a decision that could have affected the entire competition. At the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, every chasing team has already lost in this T20 World Cup. Ireland has fallen behind. Even 2021 champions Australia were overwhelmed by Zimbabwe. The pattern was not subtle.
It was right there.
So what was the obvious call? Bat first. Put runs on the board. Apply pressure to the scoreboard. Let India chase. Simple. Logical. Expected.
Instead, Pakistan chose to play – and play badly. They decided to go bowling. Against India. In Colombo.
IND vs PAK: Complete Score | Highlighting
And if recent tournament trends weren’t enough, history has added another warning sign. India have won five of the six T20Is in Colombo whenever they have crossed the 150-run mark. The numbers were not hidden. They flashed red.
Yes, historically there have been 28 instances of teams successfully chasing Premadasa before this World Cup. But form and current conditions are important. Trends matter.
There is a cost to ignoring what is happening in front of you.
That meant Pakistan needed something extraordinary – a near-flawless bowling effort to keep India below 150 and give themselves a realistic shot. They didn’t deliver.
Result? Hammering in 61 moves. Heavy. Complex. Painfully avoidable.
When you give up the advantage before the first ball is thrown, the rest often writes itself.
YET, PAKISTAN WAS NOT OUT OF THE GAME
Salman Agha may have made a mistake in the toss, but he pulled things back briefly by releasing the dangerous Abhishek Sharma. At that moment, Pakistan had a unique opportunity to put India under real pressure. Instead, they let the opening slide.
There was a clear chance to attack Ishan Kishan and seize control and Pakistan had the wherewithal to do so. Usman Tariq was available. Still, Pakistan held him back and only introduced him in the 11th over. until Kishan has already done the damage and given India a flying start.
In the post-match press conference, Mike Hesson said that Tariq had a specific role and was most effective when the batsmen went after him. But did Kishan play carefully in the power play? Had Tariq been brought in earlier and managed to get dismissed, India could have been restricted to less than 150 overs.
Tariq eventually returned neat figures of 4-0-24-1, but by that stage the game had already started slipping out of Pakistan’s control.
SHAHEEN’S OBSESSION
Let’s call it what it is. Shaheen Shah Afridi is very much out of form. An economy rate of 11.22 in Colombo – on a surface where batting was not exactly easy – is simply inexcusable. Still, Pakistan persisted with him again and again. After almost eight years in international cricket, Shaheen’s skill set looks largely unchanged and his shortcomings are becoming harder to ignore.
He still relies heavily on that right-handed swinger. When it doesn’t click, the control disappears. The lines waver. The runs are flowing. And in T20 cricket, that margin for error is brutal.
More confusingly, another left-arm pacer, Salman Mirza, remains on the bench. In 14 T20Is, Mirza has taken 22 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 6.36. He returned figures of 3.5-0-24-3 against the Netherlands and was easily Pakistan’s bowler.
However, he did not play against the USA. He didn’t even play against India.
Given the current form of both pacers, the question is easy: what is the cricketing justification for continuing with Shaheen while Mirza waits on the sidelines?
LOSE EVERYTHING
If ever Pakistan cricket needed a clear head and honest introspection, it is now. Someone needs to inject some common sense – and fast. Their defeat to India moved them up to 3rd in Group A, so their February 18 clash with Namibia is a must if they are to qualify for the Super 8s.
There is another reality they cannot ignore: Pakistan has a lot to lose, while Namibia has nothing to lose. Namibia is already out of the tournament and will take to the field without pressure. That freedom can be dangerous. Pakistan’s problems just got worse after Colombo humbled India. (PTI photo)
Meanwhile, Pakistan will bear the brunt of the consequences. They know another defeat would mean a repeat of 2024, when they failed to reach the second round. The scars of that exit have not yet fully healed – and the possibility of history repeating itself will still linger in their minds.
India’s game is over. It cannot be undone. But their campaign is not over. A comeback is still possible.
But for this to happen, Pakistan need to think clearly, pick the right combinations and execute plans that truly reflect the match conditions. If not, forget lifting the World Cup – they could well be left pondering where it all went wrong on February 18 as they board the plane home.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
February 16, 2026